Lilies and Ivy: The Director's Cut
by NazgulQueen13
Summary: Rewrite Ivy works as a gardener for her cruel stepfamily, and makes a notsogreat impression on the arrogant prince. A lifechanging decision takes her on the adventure of a lifetime...Please review!
1. Prologue

Author's Note: Well, here it is, the complete rewrite of my story Lilies and Ivy. For my old readers, thank you _so_ much for coming back! And to my new readers, thanks for reading! It will seem like a Cinderella story at first, but it is a mixture. You can check out the old version if you so desire, but this version will add new chapters, like this new one, and cut out some of the old one. Thanks! ~Emma~ Lilies and Ivy 

_Clusters of crocus_

_Purple and gold_

_Blankets of pansies_

_Up from the cold_

_Lilies and ivy_

_Safe from the chill_

_Safe in my garden_

Snowdrops so still 

            Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there lived in the land of Vievalla a duke. The duke had a beautiful wife, and they lived in pure bliss. Their happiness was even greater than before when they found they were expecting a child.

            On a cold, stormy night, with the wind and the rain rattling the windows, the duchess gave birth to a beautiful daughter. But their happiness was not to be; in the turmoil of birth, the duchess died.

            The duke swore on this night that he would do everything in his power to protect his child.  Looking out of the window, he saw the ivy climbing up his chateau's walls. He smiled down at the happy baby.

            "Ivy," he said. "We shall call you Ivy."

            He asked the midwife, who was one of the land's most esteemed witches, to help him protect his child.

            "None shall harm this child," she said, "as long as her one true love lives."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            A young girl of ten sat in the front pew of the enormous cathedral. She watched in a mix of awe and anxiety as her father, the duke, married the beautiful Lady Catalina. She fingered the locket around her neck, opening it to gaze at her real mother.  She sighed, supposing that this new woman would have to do.

            She looked at her father; something had changed about him since he had met this woman. Ivy wasn't sure what, but he was much more detached, and willing to obey Lady Catalina's every whim. Ivy had tried many a time to reclaim her father's attention, only to be shooed away by the lady.

            "Call me mum," the lady had told Ivy one day, but Ivy could not bring herself to do it. The lady gave her cold feeling, as if all her affection was insincere. 

            "May I present the Duke and Duchess of Kiele," the priest suddenly said, and Ivy snapped out of her reverie. Her father and the new duchess were smiling happily, and Ivy forced herself to do the same.

            "Congratulations," the person next to her said. 

            "Thank you," she said, smiling meekly.

            She rose from her seat and followed her father and new stepmother out of the church.  They had just reached outside, when her father turned to kiss his new bride.  The next moment, he was on the ground.

            Ivy screamed, and bent down next to him.  A pool of blood was coming out of his back.  Soon a large crowd of people were closing in, yelling different things, but Ivy couldn't hear them. Her stepmother was next to her, but Ivy couldn't see any sign of emotion on her face.  

            "Ivy," her father said shallowly.

            "Yes, Papa?" she said, a tear running down her cheek. She felt as if her heart was being torn into a million pieces. 

            "I … love you," he whispered, before his eyes fluttered closed. Ivy took his hand and held it to her damp cheek.

            "Papa! Papa, wake up! Papa…" she said desperately, but people were picking her up and dragging her away.

            "No! No, Papa! I want to be with my papa! Father!" she screamed, as she kicked and pulled with all her might, but the crowd was too strong for her.

            "It's alright, your father is in a better place now," they said as they placed her in a carriage.  Ivy turned to look out the back window, but all she could see was the throngs of people closing in around her father.  She turned back around as the carriage set off, pulling her knees up to her chest.  Soon, the tears were streaming down her face as she tried to figure out what had just happened. 

            The carriage came to a halt, but Ivy made no move to get out.  The coachman opened the door and gently took her elbow to help her out. She allowed herself to be walked to the front door of her chateau. 

            "Ah, there you are."

            Ivy looked up to see her stepmother, not a trace of a tear on her face. Next to her were her two daughters, Souzan and Parveneh. Neither of them looked anything but their normal selfish selves.

            "With your father gone, _you_ have no right to anything in the chateau," the duchess said coldly. "It all belongs to me."

            Ivy felt a rush of fear.

            "I've already had the other servants take your things to your new quarters," the duchess went on. 

            Ivy looked at her blankly.

            "If you are to stay in this house, you are going to work. And work you shall. Now get out of my sight."

            Ivy, confused yet scared under the withering stare of her stepmother, ran from the room and to the servants quarters, where her friend Mehri stood waiting for her.

            "Oh, child," Mehri said as Ivy ran into her arms. "It will be alright, you'll see."

            Ivy didn't respond, but continued to cry into Mehri's dress.  Her brown hair had long fallen out of its fancy up-do, and she could see in the mirror on the wall that her green eyes were shiny with tears.

            "Don't worry, child," Mehri said. "Don't worry."


	2. First Impressions

Chapter 2

            Ivy was in the garden as usual, planting the lilies for her stepmother. After the murder of her father over eight years ago, she had become passionate about gardening. The duchess didn't mind, as she herself seemed to like the cascades of flowers Ivy was able to grow. 

            "Mistress Ivy, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?" came Ivy's stepsister's taunting voice. Ivy ignored her.

            "Good morning, Ivy," her stepsister said again, in a sneering voice.

            "Good morning, Parveneh," Ivy responded calmly.

            "Make sure those lilies are planted deep enough," Ivy heard her stepmother say from a window in the house.  

            "Yes, mistress," Ivy called.

            "Yes, Ivy, make sure they are deep enough. Mother wouldn't like it if they didn't grow correctly," Parveneh said. She stood above Ivy on top of the hill in her fancy dress, her brown tendrils coming down her swarthy face. Ivy rolled her eyes, pushed the hair out of her face, and continued to work. She had never failed to grow lilies correctly, ever since she was ten years old. The sun beat down on her neck.

            "It's hot. I'm going inside," Parveneh announced.

            Ivy just sighed. Her stepsisters were awfully snobbish, but Ivy often had the impression that they were because they were afraid of their mother.  

            Parveneh left, probably to find her sister so they could simper over their new dresses. Ivy finished with the lily buds, and went to check on the roses climbing the eastern wall of the chateau. She clipped one, removed the thorns, and went inside.  

            "Ivy! Come up here!" she heard her stepmother yell.

            "Coming miss!" Ivy quickly filled a vase with water, placed the rose inside, and hurried up the grand staircase. 

            She hurried into her stepmother's room, where she found her, Parveneh, and her other stepsister Souzan, looking through dresses. 

            "Here, miss," Ivy said upon entering the room, placing the rose onto the bedside table. 

            "Oh, thank you," her stepmother said offhandedly. "Ivy, come here.  Fit this dress for Souzan."

            Ivy went to reach for the pins, but her stepmother cried out.

            "For heaven sake's child, go wash your filthy hands! How dare you touch that dress with that dirt all over you!" she cried.

            Ivy looked down at her hands. Dirt was in every crevice and line.  She hurried out of the room, washed her hands in the washroom, which took longer than she expected.  Once done, she hurried right back to the room.

            "Finally, how long does it take you?" her stepmother chided. Ivy mumbled an apology, and reached once again for the pins.  She walked around Souzan, who was wearing a dress of clear blue, matching her eyes and making her blond hair seem golden.  It was large around the hips, and Ivy pinched it together. The room was silent as her stepmother and Parveneh looked at brooches. 

            "This one!" Parveneh suddenly exclaimed, causing Ivy to stick Souzan with a pin.

            "Ouch! Mother, she stabbed me!" Souzan cried.

            "Ivy, you careless, witless girl!" her stepmother scolded harshly. "You can't do one simple task without messing it all up!"

            Ivy took a deep breath, and said, "I am sorry, Souzan."

            "Go downstairs and help Mehri with dinner since you obviously are no help up here," her stepmother barked.

            "Yes, ma'am."

            Ivy walked calmly out of the room, and down the servants' stairs to the kitchens.  Once there, however, she let out her frustration by jumping up and down. The servants paid no mind to her, as she often let out her anger in such a way. Mehri, Ivy's friend and the chef for the chateau, just sighed.

            "What happened this time, Ivy dear?" she asked calmly.

            Ivy told her story, and Mehri shook her head.  

            "That woman has those girls wrapped around her finger," she said, as she often did.

            Ivy sighed, but felt much better. "What's for dinner?" she had barely said, when the bell rang that signaled there was company.

            "Who would be coming at this time of day?" Mehri said, surprised.

            Ivy shrugged. If they had known company was coming, her stepfamily would have certainly been talking about it all day. The servants listened as the door opened, and muffled voices were heard in the hall.

            "You've caught us off guard, your highness, but I'm sure our chef can whip up something for you," came her stepmother's voice. Steps were heard on the stairs leading into the kitchen, and soon her stepmother appeared.

            "It's the prince! Mehri, get something ready!" she ordered. She then saw Ivy. "Ivy, come retrieve the prince's cloak and prepare the parlor!"

            Ivy nodded, quickly cleaned her dirty face, and walked up the stairs.  She came out into the hall, but stopped and hid behind the door leading out. She ran her hands through her plaited but tangly, dark brown hair, which was mostly hid by a handkerchief.  Taking a deep breath, she left the safety of the door.

            She walked evenly toward the group.  The prince was tall, and handsome, but looked very haughtily at everything around him.  His hair was black and even from feet away, Ivy could tell his eyes were brown.  

            Curtsying, she asked softly, "May I take your cloak, your highness?" He looked down at her for a second, but said nothing. He removed his cloak and placed it in her outstretched arms. 

            As she was backing away, she heard him say, "I came to pay a visit to you and your lovely daughters, Duchess Catalina. I am sorry it comes unannounced."

            "Oh your highness, you are welcome to come whenever you wish," Ivy heard her stepmother say in a high, false voice. She rolled her green eyes, and placed the prince's cloak in the sitting room.  She then went to the parlor and flittered around, dusting various things, fluffing the pillows, and smoothing the couches and chairs.  She also made a fire quickly.  Satisfied, she went back out to the hall. 

            She waited for a break in the conversation, then hurried toward the group and said, curtsying, to her stepmother, "The parlor is ready, my lady."

            "Thank you, Ivy," her stepmother said in her false voice. "Your highness, shall we go into the parlor?"

            The prince nodded, and they walked to the parlor, the two sisters draping themselves off the prince, who didn't seem mind at all.

            "Oh, Ivy, dear, don't leave, just in case the prince needs anything," her stepmother said.

            Ivy was disgusted at the show they were putting on, but nodded and stayed in the corner.  The prince _was_ extremely arrogant, and Ivy's stepfamily was just feeding it.  After what seemed to Ivy hours of boring, dull conversation, a servant came up and handed to her a tray of pastries that Mehri must have just whipped up from scratch. Ivy took the tray and offered it to the prince first.

            "Your highness," she said, keeping her eyes down. He took a custard cream, and she moved on to her stepmother, who said, "Thank you Ivy, darling," as she took a custard cream, and Parveneh took a fruit tart. 

Then, as Ivy moved on to Souzan, the cruel girl accidentally-on purpose moved her foot so that Ivy tripped, sending the tray flying.  Ivy fell to the floor with a thud, narrowly missing hitting her head on the table. She hesitantly lifted her head from her position on the floor to see that the tray had landed on the prince. Frosting, pudding, raspberries, blueberries, and custard were all over his fine clothing, in his hair, and on his face. 

            "Your highness! I deeply apologize, she is an extremely clumsy girl, please allow me," the duchess was saying. The prince, seeming to recover from the shock, glared at Ivy with such intensity that she could only stand, sputtering, with her hands over her mouth.

            "Well don't just stand there, you stupid girl! Go get something to clean this up!" her stepmother barked. Ivy nodded numbly, and ran from the room, tears starting to come down her face. She flew down the stairs to the kitchens, where Mehri took one look at her face, and went upstairs herself to clean up.  Ivy just sat at the wooden table, crying her eyes out. 


	3. Leaving Home

A/N – Just a few notes:

            Raspberry Girl: Yes, I _know_ that it's against the rules, which is why I took it down. Also, the only reason I even wrote that chapter is because people were saying that they didn't want to wait for the rewrite to see the ending. Everything that happened in that chapter that you said were either sudden or didn't make sense will be further explored in the rewrite, which I hope you of all people read since you seem to want things more fully explained. Sorry if my tone sounds harsh, but I'm in an especially Ringwraith-y mood today. 

            **Also to everyone: The original version has been taken down** as it is against fanfiction.net rules to have two of the same stories up, revised or vice versa. If you happen to want to see anything from the original version, please feel free to e-mail me and I will be only too happy to get it to you. Thanks! :)

Ivy had calmed down when a slamming door told her that the prince had left.

            "IIIIIIVVVVVVYYYYYY!!!!!" Ivy winced as her stepmother screamed her name.  She had been yelled at before, but she had never done anything quite so bad as this.

            Her stepmother was in front of her in an instant. "You stupid, foolish, waste of a girl! To think I trusted you with something! One simple task, and you ruin it!  The prince must have hid it, but he was furious! Who wouldn't be! You clumsy, inept, idiotic girl!" her stepmother berated her. "I never should have let you stay. I feed you, I clothe you, I keep a roof over your head, and how do you repay me? By humiliating me in front of our royalty!" she screamed, her blue eyes glinting maliciously. 

            "My father –"

            "Your father was foolish. He filled your head with silly dreams that will never come true."

            Ivy's eyes filled with tears at the insult to her father. 

            "You…you witch! You enchanted him, you tricked him! And I'm supposed to thank you for keeping me? I would have left, gladly, any time you asked me to! You never loved him, and now all you care about is your reputation? If anyone is a horrible person around here, it's you!" Ivy burst out.

            Eyes filled with fury, the duchess slapped Ivy fiercely across the face. 

            "How dare you speak to me like that," the duchess said threateningly. Ivy retreated, holding her stinging cheek. "Get out of my house," the duchess said dangerously. 

            Ivy's eyes opened wide.

            "Get out!" her stepmother screamed.

            Ivy nodded without thinking, then turned and fled from the room.

******************

            "What are you doing?"

            Ivy had come to say goodbye to Mehri, only to find her packing.

            "I'm coming with you of course!" was the answer.

            "Mehri! You cannot come with me! You have it great here!" Ivy exclaimed, startled.

            "With that horrible woman? No one has it great here," Mehri said calmly.

            "But…but…"

            "Oh, Ivy darling, we'll be fine. The palace is a huge place; we can easily find work there."

            Ivy opened her mouth to protest, but shut it. Why argue? Her best friend was coming with her: there was nothing to quarrel about.

            The two women, one young one old, left the chateau at twilight. Ivy looked back for one last glance at the place that had once been such a happy home.  She sighed and turned to go, when something else caught her mind.

            "Wait, Mehri!" she said.  Dropping her bags, she hurried to the garden.  She clipped some roses, then hurried back to Mehri, who was waiting for her in the drive.

            "I can press them when we get there," Ivy explained.  Mehri smiled at her young friend.  Mehri had known Ivy her entire life, and she knew there was more to the girl than met the eye.  She put on a cheery exterior, but the older woman knew she held her share of sorrow inside. 

            They walked to the next village, and stayed at the local inn that night. The following morning, they continued their journey to the city, Jarvisilla, the largest and capital city of their land, Vievalla, and where the palace was located.  It was a short journey, and they reached the city by dusk.

            "It is grander than I remember it," Ivy commented.  The windy, cobbled streets led up a great hill to the majestic palace.  The busy markets were still going, and many people crowded the streets.  The midsummer evening was cool, but the many bodies and close houses made the air stuffy.  Mehri and Ivy exchanged a glance, and made their way up the hill to the castle.

            Once up the great hill, Mehri led the way to a side entrance.  She knocked what seemed to be a password, and the two were let inside. 

            "Mehri, is that you?" a short, stout woman with a wrinkled face asked excitedly.

            "Of course it is, Maria, you old coot!" Mehri answered.

            The woman laughed and embraced Mehri.

            "And who is this?" Maria asked in her thick Jarvisillan accent, looking at Ivy.

            "This is the girl I left to care for, Maria.  This is Ivy," Mehri said, pride in her voice.

            "Ivy! Good heavens, child, you are some sort of pretty girl! How old are you, my dear?" Maria asked.

            "Eighteen," Ivy answered. She liked Maria very much right off the bat.

            "Eighteen! Was it really that long ago, Mehri?"

            "Yes, Maria, it was. Seems like yesterday, doesn't it?" Mehri said, tucking in some of Ivy's stray hair fondly.

            "Aye, it does. But what brings you here now?" Maria asked.

            "We came for some work. Are there any jobs?"

            "Are there any jobs!" Maria repeated, as if it was the understatement of the year. "Of course there are jobs! Come, come! Follow Maria!"

            Ivy and Mehri followed the woman to the vast servants quarters. 

            "Just had two leave last week!" Maria said, leading them to some beds. "You will be very comfortable. But rest! You have been walking all day! Go to sleep, I will take care of your belongings," Maria said. 

            Ivy and Mehri gratefully slid into the beds, and Ivy could tell by her heavy breathing that Mehri had fallen asleep right away. Ivy stayed awake for a few minutes, thinking of how fast her life had changed. But sleep soon claimed her, and she was soon breathing in time with Mehri.


	4. Lady Evelyn

A/N – I was just reading all the reviews I got for the original version…*tear* I almost went on a whim and printed them all out but then I realized, hello! There are 190! That's crazy! So I didn't. But I hope I get just as many wonderful reviews for this version! Unless they're like this:

            Dood. Evelyn is like,WEIRD. x3 Bossy,too. And she seems to need a buddah. XD I mean,like,DOOD. She tried to make friends with the GARDENER X3

            That made me laugh.  Anyway, on with the story!

Ivy woke early the next morning to the hustle and bustle of the servants waking up. Mehri awoke also, and the two women quickly changed and went to find Maria.

            "Good morning girls!" Maria said to them as they entered the kitchen. "Everyone," she addressed the large group of servants standing in a bunch behind her, "I want you to meet Ivy and Mehri. They are joining us today, and I hope you make them feel at home."

            The servants smiled and greeted them, but soon broke apart to begin their daily chores.

            "You, Mehri, are in for no surprise. You are staying in the kitchen," Maria said. "And you, dear, what do you do?" she turned to Ivy.

            "I work in the garden, mostly," Ivy answered.

            "She's an _excellent_ gardener," Mehri added. 

            Maria's eyes opened wide. "Perfect!" she cried. "Lady Evelyn has been requesting a gardener, as her last one left a month ago. She has her own private garden, as she lives her full-time, and she does not accept just any old palace gardener. But don't worry child, she is the kindest courtier in the palace," Maria told her.

            Ivy couldn't believe her good luck.  From what Maria told her as she led Ivy to Lady Evelyn's quarters, Evelyn was about the same age as Ivy herself, and had her own private garden on the north side of the palace, and, to Ivy's great delight, adored lilies.

            The palace seemed even more enormous from the inside. Maria led Ivy through what seemed like thousands of hallways, every so often stopping to curtsy for a passing noble.  The palace was light and airy, and the hallways were painted white and gold, and had large windows.  Ivy felt at home.

            "Almost there, just one more hallway," Maria said after what seemed like a half hour. They turned one last corner, when Maria stopped abruptly at the end of the hall. 

"Now don't be shocked, Ivy, but Evelyn is very friendly and has made very good friends with almost every single servant in the palace," she said. "Trust me, she's a very good person." Ivy nodded. "This is her room," she told Ivy.  Ivy nervously straightened her apron and smoothed her hair as Maria knocked on the great white door.

            The door opened and a young woman with pale skin, black, curly hair but violent blue eyes came out.

            "Maria, good morning!" she said cheerfully.

            "Good morning, Lady Evelyn," Maria said as she curtsied, and Ivy quickly did the same. "How does the day find you?"

            "Perfect! It is a beautiful day, is it not, Maria?"

            "Yes, my lady, it is."

            "And who is this? I do not recognize you." She turned to Ivy.

            "Lady Evelyn, I have found you a gardener," Maria said.

            "Really?" Evelyn said excitedly, clasping her hands together.

            "This is Ivy. She is new, and is an excellent gardener."

            "How do you do?" Ivy said, curtsying again.

            "Oh silly, you don't have to curtsy.  Ivy…what a pretty name. And perfect for a gardener!" Evelyn said. "Tell me, Ivy, do you know how to grow lilies?"

            "Yes, my lady."

            "How exciting! I do dearly miss them." Evelyn turned back to Maria. "Thank you so much, Maria, I can take it from here."

            "Yes, my lady," Maria said, winked at Ivy, and left.

            "Come in, come in!" Evelyn said to Ivy, ushering her inside the chamber. "How old are you Ivy?"

            "Eighteen, madam," Ivy replied.

            "Nonsense, call me Evelyn," the young woman said, waving a hand impatiently. "Eighteen, you say? This is wonderful! I am twenty, and have no one normal my age to talk to in this God-awful place. Mother makes me stay however," she said as she went to the window. "She says I need to stay to find a husband. Honestly! We constantly have quarrels about it. She pushes me toward the prince, but he is so arrogant and conceited, and I-" she stopped suddenly. "Listen to me, rambling on. Tell me about yourself, Ivy."

            "Oh, there isn't much to say," Ivy said.  Evelyn was opening the doors that led out onto her balcony. The room was large and gorgeous. There was a satin couch and two chairs, and large canopy bed, and washroom, and the balcony.  

            "Nonsense. Where do you come from?" Evelyn asked.

            "Faye, not too far from here," Ivy replied, naming the small village close to her old home.

            "Charming little town. Of course, I haven't left this palace in four years!" Evelyn said, sitting herself down on the couch. She patted the place next to her, but Ivy shook her head.

            "I don't want to get your furniture dirty," she said, looking down at her worn clothes. Evelyn snorted.

            "Please, this place could do with a little dirtying up," she said. Ivy smiled, and Evelyn returned it.  Ivy could tell that she and Evelyn would get along marvelously. 

            "Say, come here, Ivy," Evelyn said, as if she just had a thought. She grabbed Ivy's hand and hurried her over to the closet.  She threw open the doors, and rummaged through the clothing.

            "Ah! Here, try this on," she said, handing a crimson dress to Ivy.

            "Oh, no, I couldn't," Ivy protested.

            "Of course you can! Come on, it'll be fun! I know I sure could do with some fun," Evelyn said. 

            "No, I really couldn't, miss."

            "This is the first time in four years I've had the chance to be with someone normal my own age!"

            Yet Ivy continued to protest strongly, but Evelyn finally stopped and raised her hand.

            "I didn't want to have to do this, but I'm afraid I must order you to put on this dress," she said, a look of mock-seriousness on her face. 

            Ivy sighed, but wanted to make her new mistress happy, so she took the beautiful silk dress. Evelyn shoved her playfully behind the clothing screen, and Ivy slowly took off her clothes. She heard Evelyn bounce back to the sitting area. 

            "Do you always have crazy ideas like this?" Ivy asked from behind the screen.

            She heard Evelyn chuckle and say, "Yes, all the time!"

            Ivy had not taken off her servants clothing in over ten years, and the feel of the silk on her skin was a strange one. The crimson dress was light, perfect for summer, and had pearl buttons in the back. It flowed past Ivy's feet, but it fit perfectly.

            She sighed again, and left the safety of the screen. 

            "Oh!" Evelyn cried, jumping off the couch. "You look gorgeous!" she exclaimed. She steered Ivy to the mirror, and even Ivy took in a sharp breath.  She looked older, more refined in the dress, and the change was astonishing.

            "You could pass as a noble," Evelyn said. Ivy just laughed, but continued to stare at herself in the mirror. Suddenly, Evelyn cried out.

            "I just had a brilliant idea!" she exclaimed. She was jumping up and down, clapping her hands. "Stay in that dress, and I can take you around today as my cousin! It will be so much fun!" 

            To Ivy, however, it didn't sound like so much fun.

            "No, my lady, that would not be wise…" she began to say, but Evelyn waved the excuse away.

            "Oh, please, and when was being wise fun? I know I need some fun…this place is like graveyard sometimes. Oh, come on, Ivy…consider it a…a bonding experience," she said with a nod.

            "I'm sorry my lady, it just wouldn't be right…"

            "Oh, please. I've been doing the right thing for years now, and I'm dreadfully bored of it," Evelyn said.

            "No, I really must refuse."

            "Don't make me order you again, Ivy."

            Ivy laughed. She turned her attention back to the mirror. _It couldn't hurt, _a voice said in her head. _No one will ever know…_

            Evelyn looked at her expectantly, and Ivy said, "Alright. I suppose it would be rather fun."

            "Yay!" Evelyn said, jumping up and down again. "This is so exciting! We are going to be excellent friends, I can already tell."

            And so began Ivy's first day at the palace.


	5. Lady Scarlett

Lady Evelyn fussed over Ivy's hair for nearly an hour, until Ivy finally cracked and firmly insisted it looked perfect. It was swept into a soft bun at the base of her neck, and Evelyn kept switching between cooing about how beautiful Ivy looked and how much fun this was going to be. Ivy was beginning to have major butterflies in her stomach; why was she doing this? Something was going to go wrong. What if she got caught? Then what would happen?

Her worrying was cut short by Evelyn telling her it was time to go.

"Go where, exactly?" Ivy asked.

"Just to walk around outside," Evelyn told her as they left the room. "It is such a gorgeous day outside, is it not?"

"Well, yes, I suppose," Ivy said, slightly tripping on the long dress. She was not used to walking in this attire.

"Then I thought we could lunch outside. Then I could show you the garden…it is in desperate need of work."

"Um, alright."

They reached the stairs and descended down into the front hall, where a few courtiers were mingling.

"Lady Evelyn! You look lovely this morning," a dashing young man said, coming up to the girls.

"Lord Benedick, thank you. May I introduce my cousin…Scarlett? She is visiting from the north," Lady Evelyn said.

Ivy cast a surprised glance at Evelyn at the change of her name, but curtsied.

"Lady Scarlett, a pleasure to meet you," Lord Benedick said.

"Charmed," Ivy said simply. The girls curtsied again and went outside.  

"Scarlett?" Ivy asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow.

"It's more fun this way," Evelyn said simply.

Ivy just rolled her eyes, but gasped when she saw what was outside. A large area that Evelyn quickly whispered was normally used for balls was filled with courtiers. The cobblestone made Ivy walk slowly so she didn't fall on her face.  Evelyn walked her around and introduced her to countless ladies and lords, dukes and countesses.  Ivy breathed a sigh of relief that everyone seemed to be buying that she actually was a noble.

"This _is_ fun!" Evelyn said as she led Ivy to a grassy area. "Oh no," she said suddenly, "quick, Ivy, walk faster…"

"Lady Evelyn!" a high-pitched voice called.

"Damn," Evelyn said under her breath. Then she put on a smile and looked up. "Lady Bernadine!" she called. "How good to see you!"

A short, squat woman was waddling over to Evelyn and Ivy. She was dressed in rich clothing that looked much too heavy for the summer day that it was.

"Lady Evelyn," she reached the girls, and kissed Evelyn on both cheeks. "Who is this enchanting young lady with you that everyone is talking about?"

Ivy blushed, but Evelyn just smiled.

"This is my dear cousin Scarlett, Lady Bernadine," Evelyn said.

"How do you do?" Ivy said with a curtsy.

"Scarlett! My my my, aren't you the pretty thing? There has been such a flurry of gossip this morning, I just had to come and introduce myself. Evelyn," she turned to her, "do say hello to your mother and the count for me, will you? I do so dearly miss them."

"I will, Lady Bernadine."

"Oh! There is Roderigo! I must speak with him. Excuse me ladies. A pleasure to meet you, Scarlett," Lady Bernadine said, and then she hurried off.

"I cannot stand that woman! She is the most odious, gossipy, horrible woman in court!" Evelyn said with a huff.

Ivy just laughed.

"She is not funny!" Evelyn said.

"On the contrary, I think she is quite amusing," Ivy said, laughing.

Evelyn laughed as well, but stopped abruptly.

"Can I leave you alone for a second?" she said, staring at something in the distance.

"What? No! You can't –" Ivy tried to say, but Evelyn had already run off. Ivy tried to see what it was that she was running to, but couldn't tell.

So now she was all alone, surrounded by courtiers talking idly. She sat down on a bench and observed the crowd.  Soon she sighed and decided that it was time to go back inside.  She decided to walk back to the south side of the palace, where Evelyn's quarters were. The crowd was thinning out; everyone was heading off to lunch. She rose from her seat on the bench, and was about to walk away when something caught her eye. 

"Lilies!" she cried, and ran toward them. A garden of roses, iris, and lilies was before her.  She smiled happily as she walked through the huge, fragrant garden.

She was strolling fairly slowly when she noticed she was not alone. A man was walking the opposite way, across from a bed of violets.  Ivy tried to calm herself down but then she saw who it was.

The prince! _Oh no, what if he recognizes me! He is not likely to have forgotten the pastries, is he?_ she thought hurriedly.  He was coming closer, and Ivy had slowed down to a snail's pace. She suddenly was so nervous that she turned around and began walking the other way. 

"I haven't frightened you away, have I?" she heard him say. His voice sounded just as condescending as it had been that day at the chateau.

"No, of course not, your highness," Ivy nervously answered.

"Will you not stop?"

She halted, and turned to him, keeping her face down as low as possible.

"Have we met?" he asked.

"I do not believe so, your highness," she said with a curtsy.

He began to walk again, and she followed suit, keeping a large distance between them.

"What is your name then?" he asked.

"Scarlett, your highness," she answered with the name Evelyn had given her.

"Scarlett," he repeated. "Scarlett of what, pray tell?"

"Of…of Serafina, your highness," she said, naming a part of the country to the north. 

"Why are you here?"

"I am visiting my cousin."

"Who?"

"Lady Evelyn."

"Ah, of course, Lady Evelyn," he said, and then chuckled. She furrowed her brow.

"Why do you laugh?" she asked boldly.

"Lady Evelyn is quite the character."

"Yes, I suppose she is."

"Let me see your face."

Ivy sighed, but decided it was not in her best interest to deny the prince, so she looked sideways at him. To her great relief, he did not recognize her.

They walked awhile in silence. He was awfully handsome this close up.  His wavy black hair kept falling into his brown eyes, and his clean-shaven face was slightly tan.  Ivy shook her head to get rid of such stupid thoughts.

"Gardens always give me a headache," he said suddenly.

"They are so joyful!" she said with feeling.

 "They are beautiful, but they seem so…common. The peasants take such great delight in them, it seems sinful for anyone of higher rank to enjoy them."

"Well, commoners don't have much else to take delight in, do they?" she countered, growing angry at his arrogance.

"Well, no, but that is their life.  They were born to work, while others were born to privilege."

"Not all were born to work, maybe some _were_ born to privilege," she said, too late realizing what she said.

"Pray tell," he said with amusement in his eyes, "what do you mean?"

"Nothing. It was just a stray thought," she said quickly. "All I am saying is that just because the peasants think that gardens are beautiful, why can't the higher class? They are humans as well, are they not?"

"You find me conceited, don't you Lady Scarlett?" he asked.

She froze, still angry, but didn't respond.

"No doubt you do," he said. "Most people do."

She stared at him in surprise. If she hadn't still been so angry, she would have detected the sadness in his voice.

Ivy soon noticed they were at the end of the garden.

"It was a…pleasure to talk to you, your highness," she said.

He chuckled. "A pleasure to meet you." He then turned and left.  She turned the other way, and left for Evelyn's quarters.


	6. The Garden

A/N – You're going to get a little more insight into the prince in the rewrite, which begins in this chapter. Um, I think that's all.  Oh, the reason I put up so many chapters at once is because chapter 2 and 3 stayed almost the same.  Ok, now that's all. :)

Ivy returned to Evelyn's chambers to find them empty.  She changed quickly out of the fancy dress and put her own clothes back on.  She laid the dress on the sofa, and left the room.  She hurried down to the servant's quarters to help with dinner. 

            Mehri saw Ivy coming down the stairs and hurried over to her.

            "Well, how was your first day with Lady Evelyn?" Mehri asked eagerly.

            "I'll tell you later," Ivy said softly, noticing the servants watching them intently. Mehri looked puzzled, but shrugged, grabbed Ivy's hand and led her over to the large stove.  

            "Start stirring," she ordered, and Ivy leaned over to see a huge cauldron of stew simmering on the stove. She seized the huge spoon and began to stir. She felt Mehri's inquiring eyes following her, but she focused her attention on the stew.

            She found she couldn't stop thinking of the prince. His arrogance was exactly the same as it had been that day at the chateau.  How dare he just assume that anything that the "peasants" thought was beautiful couldn't be thought of as beautiful by anyone else! She went over in her mind what she had said to him. She slapped herself mentally. She hadn't really put up the strongest argument.  But it was the best that she could have done, seeing as she had been so nervous.

            "Have you heard of Lady Evelyn's cousin?" Ivy's head flew up at the sound of this.  The two servants across the stove were speaking to each other.

            "Yes, I heard she is beautiful…but why weren't we informed of her coming?" 

            "I don't rightly know. I heard she is very shy and doesn't like a lot of fuss."

            "I heard she talked with the prince and that he was beside himself with anger. Sounds like she insulted him." Ivy chuckled at this. 

            "What I wouldn't have given to see that!" The two ladies laughed, and went back to work.

            Ivy smiled secretly to herself.  She looked down at her plain brown dress, and the rag on her hair.  She sighed; she could still feel the silk on her skin.  

            "What nonsense," she said softly to herself, and returned her attention to the stew.

*********

"You! You're the cousin?" Mehri was beside herself with glee at Ivy's story of the day.  

            "Yes! I couldn't very well say no to Evelyn, and besides, what harm could it have done? Right?" Ivy asked worriedly.

            "Oh darling, nothing! It must have so much fun…I would have loved to see you, all dressed up and talking with the prince."

            "Ugh! He is such an arrogant, haughty…" Ivy took a deep breath. "To think! I actually reprimanded him! The prince! Some impression that must have left."

            "Even better than pastries," Mehri laughed.

            Ivy laughed as well. Then she became thoughtful. "I wonder where Evelyn ran off to?"

            Mehri gasped. "Haven't you heard then?"

            Ivy turned a puzzled face to her.

            "Sounds like some old flame of hers has returned to the palace, completely unexpected. According to the rumors, they used to be engaged."

            "Ohhh. That must have been it. She looked so shocked, but I couldn't tell what she was looking at."       

            Mehri was about to answer, but Maria interrupted them. 

            "Lights out, ladies!" she called, and the sound of candles blowing out was heard throughout the room.

            "Good night, Mehri," Ivy said.

            "Good night, Miss Scarlett."

********

            The prince sat at dinner, lost in his own thoughts, while his parents chatted about some country or another.  

            That Lady Scarlett…how dare she reprove him! And yet… he couldn't help but be very taken with her. She had something most courtiers didn't.  She had talked to him as if he was a normal person, which his uncle always said was the reason he was so arrogant. She had talked about the garden with such feeling…

            _What nonsense_, he scolded himself.  She talked about the garden with such feeling because she has no right sense of place. She is a noble, and nobles shouldn't be taken with things that the peasants love so much! 

            Yet, his uncle was always telling him that if he was to be the king of this land, he needed to change.  

            "The peasants will be your subjects, you know," he had told the prince once. "If you are going to rule them, you should know who they are, how they think."

            Deep down, the prince _did_ want to be a good ruler.  And something in Miss Scarlett's green eyes had told him that maybe she was the one that could help him change…

********

            "Lady Evelyn?" Ivy knocked shyly on the door the next morning. "Are you there?"

            Suddenly the door burst open. Evelyn came out, her hair mussed up and large circles under her eyes.

            "Ivy!" she said brightly, as if nothing was wrong. "Come in, come in!"

            Ivy came into the room, puzzled. 

            "Are you well, milady?" Ivy asked.

            "What? Oh, well to tell the truth…no, I'm not really." Then her eyes got wide. "You must tell me all about yesterday! I cannot believe I missed it! I have gotten so many compliments on you!"

            "Really?" Ivy said, surprised. "Well, you left and I was about to go back, but then I saw these gorgeous gardens, so I just had to go see them. And then when I was walking through them, who else walks up to me but the prince!"

            "The prince!" Evelyn said disgustedly, making a face. 

            "I know," Ivy said in agreement. "I actually lectured him on how just because peasants think gardens are beautiful, doesn't mean that the higher class can't also."

            "That's wonderful! Although, I must say, it is very lucky you still have your head," Evelyn said.

            Ivy laughed. "But may I ask what happened to _you_?"

            "Oh…well, I suppose I can tell you. I once was engaged to a man named Julius. He was wonderful, but we realized that we made better friends than lovers. So we broke it off. My mother, however, was horrified and sent me here immediately.  And then, yesterday, out of the blue, he came! And I was expecting just to catch up with him, but then he springs it on me that he wants to get back together!"

            Ivy gasped.  Evelyn clearly was distraught.  

            "Oh Ivy, I really need something to get my mind off of this…" she looked at Ivy imploringly. Ivy, realizing what she was going to say, shook her head.

            "No, once was enough."

            "Oh, but Ivy, think what will happen to me! People will ask, where is that charming cousin of yours? Did she only stay for one day? Why would she only come for one day? And they'll whisper behind my back and…"

            "I will do it _only_ if you show me the garden today," Ivy said.

            "Oh, I will! Anything you want!" Evelyn jumped up and down.

            So Ivy got dressed up, and she and Evelyn went outside to make the rounds again.  It was well after four o'clock when Ivy insisted they stop.

            "Show me your garden, at least," Ivy asked. Her dress, an emerald green, was making her feel very hot and she longed for her simple, unruffled servants dress again.

            "Oh, alright then," Evelyn said. They went back to her chambers, where Ivy changed, and then left for the garden.

            "This is it," Evelyn said.

            Ivy stared around in shock. It was a large square area of dirt, weeds, and broken branches.

             "This is going to take a while," she said in shock.

            "Oh however long it takes, I do not care, as long as it comes back," Evelyn said. "I will leave you to look around and see what can be saved and what can't."

            Ivy just nodded and began to pick her way through the tangled mess.  She pulled up thousands of weeds and inspected the roots that were still there.  She was so busy inspecting the dead ivy climbing up the wall that she didn't hear someone coming up behind her.

            "You indeed are as amazing I thought."

            Ivy yelped and spun around. She saw the prince, with the same superior look on his face, standing at the entrance. She was sure he hadn't meant 'amazing' in a good way.

            "Whatever do you mean, your highness?" she asked in a cold voice.

            "Well, you lecture me about gardens, and then I find you, not only working _in_ a garden, but wearing servants clothes as well." He looked with cold humor at her garb.

            "A fancy dress is no way to work in a garden, and besides, I told your highness that I loved gardens," she said, but kicking herself mentally for such a stupid statement.

            "And you must have meant it."

            "I did."

            He walked toward her, not caring to step over the branches, but instead crushing them underneath his boots.  

            "This isn't much of a garden, is it, Lady Scarlett?" he asked with a sneer on his face.

            "Evelyn wished me to fix it for her."

            The prince chuckled. 

            "What is so funny?" she asked.

            "If ever I have seen something that needed fixing, it's this garden," he replied.

            She rolled her eyes. 

            "Actually, Miss Scarlett, I have confession to make," he said, becoming quite serious.

            "Do you?"

            "I…well, that is to say, I…I was wondering if I could join you in fixing this garden."

            Her jaw dropped in shock. "Why on earth would you want to do that?" she asked, sounding a little more stunned than she had meant to.

            His eyes became cold and hard again. "I just would, that's all."

            "I did not mean it like that, I just meant…why the change of mind?"

            "Never mind, forget I said anything." He began to walk away.

            "No wait! Your highness!" she began to run after him. "I would be honored if you worked with me," she said.

            "Well, then we shall commence tomorrow. I will meet you here at one o'clock, precisely," he said.

            She fought to keep back a smile, and nodded. 

            "Until tomorrow then," he said, giving her a slight nod of the head.

            "Goodbye," she said, curtsying shakily.

            Laughing to herself, she went back to work.


	7. Gardening With The Prince

A/N – Sorry this took so long…I had it but I've been busy. Enjoy! :)

Chapter 7

            "Her? Why is _she_ with the prince?"      

            Back at the chateau, the duchess and her daughters were using the duchess' magic mirror to spy on the prince and Ivy. Souzan was not happy.

            "Because she is an addle-minded twit," the duchess replied, waving her hand so that the image of Ivy and the prince disappeared.

            "Mother!"

            "And if all goes according to plan," the duchess continued, "by the time I have reached my full power, he will be so in love with her he won't even see what's coming to him."

            "What _is_ coming to him, Mother?" Parveneh asked.

            "You shall see, my daughter," the duchess said. The rose that hovered in mid-air on the table in the middle of the room was surrounded by a blue light that was growing stronger by the day.

            "But Mother, why put all your power into a rose?" Souzan asked.

            The duchess smiled at her daughter. "Because, my dear, this rose will give me all the power I need."

            "You need to what?"

            The duchess only smiled a malevolent smile. "You shall see."

**************

            Ivy sat in her bed that night, long after everyone had gone to sleep, trying to decipher the prince.  Why did he want to garden with her? Wouldn't he rather sit on his throne and laugh as the servants walk by with their dirty clothes and heavy loads? 

            She sighed and lay back down. She didn't understand. He had seemed so overly-confident and smug, but was it possible that what she had said meant something to him? She fell asleep wondering.

**************

            The prince sat on his balcony, watching the sunset. He hoped that he hadn't made the wrong choice with this whole garden business. Miss Scarlett had seemed truly shocked that he had wanted to do it in the first place.

            _This is ridiculous_, he thought. _I don't want to be nice; being nice means being vulnerable._

            And yet…he felt he would want to be nice when it came to Scarlett. Very nice.

**************

            The next morning, Ivy awoke and was instructed to do some minor chores, which kept her busy until about noon.  After a hurried lunch, she collected the gardening tools that Maria had set out for her, and headed to Evelyn's garden. She wished to get there before the prince.

            Judging by the curtains still drawn in her windows, Evelyn was not even awake yet. This was puzzling, but Ivy shrugged it off and entered the walled garden.  Not knowing where to start, she spent a few minutes just staring around, still in shock at the absolute mess the place was. Finally, she noticed a group of daylilies and decided to begin with them.

            The sun was high in the sky, but the day was mild and not as hot as it had been the past few days.  Ivy thanked her lucky stars for this, since she did not care to work in the hot sun.  The perennial daylilies were in bad shape; not only were they in the wrong part of the garden, but it looked as if they had been partially mutilated. Ivy sighed sadly, pulled on her gloves, and began to work.

            She was carefully pulling up the bulbs when she heard the crunching of boots behind her. She gritted her teeth, but turned around.

            The prince was standing in the middle of the garden, looking around at the dead leaves and twigs.  He was dressed quite ridiculously for gardening; he had on a silk purple shirt with a short cloak partially wrapped around him, elegant pants, and shiny leather boots.  Quite unwillingly, Ivy let out a laugh.

            "Does something humor you?" he asked harshly.

            Not intimidated, Ivy nodded, still chuckling.

            "Pray tell, what is it?"

            "You really expect to garden in those clothes?" she asked with a somewhat unsympathetic laugh.

            He looked down at his clothes, then back up at her.

            "What is wrong with my clothing?" he retorted.

            "Do even know what gardening entails?"

            "Yes…you look at flowers and pour water on them," he said.

            This only caused Ivy to laugh even more, which made the prince very annoyed indeed.

            "What is it about me that makes you laugh so much?" he asked disdainfully.

            "I am sorry," she said, trying to control herself. "Gardening is much more than just pouring water on flowers."

            "Oh really," he said with sarcastic disbelief. "What else does it involve?"

            "Dirt, mostly," Ivy said. "See these bulbs?" He nodded. "They are supposed to be perennial. Do you know what that means?"

            "Yes, I know what it means," he said mockingly. "It means…" he trailed off. The realization hit him that he had no idea, but instead of inquiring the correct answer, he just became angry.

            "I will not be taught my place by a noble who defends peasants!" he said angrily. "I am the prince, I know everything I need to know. Good day," he said shortly.

            With that, he turned on his fancy-leather-boot heel and stormed out.

            Ivy, at first shocked to no end, suddenly began to laugh once again. He really was a conceited bonehead.  Sighing from part contentment, part disbelief, she began working on the daylilies again.  She hummed quietly to herself as she worked.

~

            How dare she! She had insulted him to his face!  He stormed out of the garden and back into the palace.  Who did she think she was?

            He stomped up to his chambers, slamming the door. Didn't she realize this was hard enough for him? But then he regretted what he had said; he had just confirmed what she probably knew all along: that he was an arrogant prig. _And you're supposed to be trying to change, remember?_ the voice inside his head said.  He kicked himself mentally. He felt some comfort in that she had been able to laugh at him instead of growing angry herself. He could hear her melodic laughter in his head.  

            He sighed. He would just have to return as gracefully as he could.  With that in mind, he changed and headed to the library.

~

            Ivy was moving the bulbs from their place in the dark corner of the garden to a place where they would get more sun.  Dusting the dirt off her gloves and wiping the tiny beads of sweat from her forehead, she suddenly heard a stomping from behind her.  She turned to see the prince had returned. Biting her lip to prevent her from laughing again, she noticed that he had changed into simple cotton clothes, and was carrying a pair of gloves. Furrowing her brow, she stood complacently until her reached her.

            "A plant that continues to grow after two seasons," he said with a smug look on his face.

            "Very good," she said like one who is congratulating a dog for lying down. "Did you look that up all by yourself?" she said softly to herself, but the prince still narrowed his eyes as if he knew she had said something sarcastic.

            "I have changed my clothing, so if this does not suit you, then I am afraid I shall have to give up," he said.  She looked at him suspiciously, but shrugged to herself.

"Well, I finished the daylilies, so I think we'll start the ivy," she said.  She walked back to her tools.

            "Ivy?" she heard him say.

            "Yes?" she answered, out of habit. Biting her lip, she turned around.

            "I mean…um…yes, ivy, that's what we're…doing," she said nervously, hoping he hadn't noticed. He hadn't.

            She picked up her tools and headed to wall where the ivy climbed up and out of sight.  She grabbed one of the ladders that were propped up against the wall, and climbed up. 

            "See this up here?" she said to the prince, who was looking up, squinting in the sun. "See how it is all brown and somewhat dead-looking?"

            "Yes," he said.

            "I need you," she said, starting to climb back down, "to begin clipping the brown ones off."

            "But that's all of them!"

            "Yes, pretty much."

            She reached the bottom again, and plopped a pair of clippers in his hands. He climbed the ladder and she soon heard the sound of clipping.  Hoping she hadn't made a bad decision, she began to fix the ivy that had strayed out of the wooden frame it was supposed to weave in and out of.  After some time, she grabbed the other ladder and headed up to help the prince.

            "How is it going?" she asked.  

            The prince continued to work, but said, "Fine."

            She shrugged; she supposed that was all the conversation they would have. She started to clip as well, and soon they were both lost in the work.

            "Miss Scarlett?" he said suddenly.

            Ivy didn't answer; she hadn't become used to responding to the name.

            "Miss Scarlett?" he said louder.

            "Oh! Yes?" she said, turning to him.

            "I don't think we've been properly introduced," he said with an indecipherable look on his face.

            She thought for a second, but then realized that they hadn't; she didn't even know his name.

            "No, I suppose we haven't," she said, pushing a stray lock of brown hair out of her face.

            "Well, my true name is Adrian Christopher Nikolas Julian Connor Estralita. But you may call me Adrian," he said. 

            "I should hope so," she said. She thought quickly, then said, "My name is simply Scarlett Channery of Serafina." 

            This close, she was reminded of how handsome he really was. He seemed to be looking at her as well, but she laughed silently at what she probably looked like. Her dark brown hair was no doubt tangled and messy, and her face dirty. She turned away and began to clip once again.

            "Have you by chance read Paradise by Sir Walter Smith?" he said suddenly.

            She was confused, but remembered reading it with her father, so she answered, "Yes. Why do you ask?"

            "Well, I was reminded of how he used ivy as a symbol of life," he said.

            She smiled at this sudden, albeit odd, conversation.  "True.  If I remember correctly, he thought it showed that ivy can be forced to grow in an orderly pattern, but it can also grow astray. Just like life," she said, remembering.

            "Exactly," he said, turning his head to look at her. "Although he said it in such a way that it took me months to understand it. My tutor was going mad, it took me so long," he said with a chuckle.  Ivy laughed as well.

Before she could say anything more, the bell sounded that it was four o'clock, and the prince suddenly looked up. 

            "I must leave," he said, hurrying back down the ladder.

            "Of course," she said, climbing back down as well.

            "Good day," he said, although not as harshly as before. "It was…interesting."

            She furrowed her brow, but nodded. "Goodbye," she said.

            He inclined his head slightly, she curtsied slightly, and then he left, his back covered in leaves.

            Ivy began to laugh once again. She had never laughed so much in one day in her entire life.


	8. Laughter

A/N – I am brilliant! Brilliant I tell you! Sorry…I just figured out my grand master plan for this story, and I like it a lot! *Does a dance* 

            Anyways, besides my conceited babble, this is by far the most different chapter. It's actually two former chapters, because I cut some major stuff. *Puts super scissors away* I hope you like it, I certainly do! 

            Also, I'm trying to make this mucho different than Ella Enchanted or Ever After, but I think I'm failing. So put up with me, because EE is one of my fave books, and EA is one of my fave movies, so I'm probably doing it unconsciously. 

            Anyway, read on! And review!

Chapter 8

            _Dear Ivy,_

_                        If you get the chance, could you be a dear and come to my chambers sometime tonight? It is nothing urgent, I just would like to see you._

_                        Evelyn_

            The following day, Ivy found a note from Evelyn on her bed. She had just finished eating supper, and so decided now was as good a time as any to visit Evelyn. She likely wanted to know how Ivy was doing in the garden. So Ivy put on a simple dress and left the servant's quarters.

            As a matter of fact, Ivy was moving along quite well with the garden. The prince had never showed up today, but Ivy didn't think too much of it as she had heard a rumor that a duke or something was visiting.

She walked the great snake of the hallways, and was just passing the dining hall when the she heard a great slamming.  She whirled around and saw none other than the prince, standing in front of the doors to the dining hall, fuming.

            She stood there, not really sure of what to do.  Had he noticed her? Should she say something? He seemed to be glaring incessantly at the wall in front of him.

            "Miss Scarlett, am I a horrible person?" he said suddenly, still staring at the wall, causing her to jump.

            "Pardon?" she said, walking toward him slowly.  

            He turned to face her. "Am I a horrible person? Am I really that terrible?"

            Ivy bit her lip, not sure of what to say. "Ummm…"

            "I know I'm mean. I know I'm spoiled. I know I'm haughty, and snobby, and egotistical." He took a breath. "But how is it that everyone is so sure that I'm actually like that?" He looked at her.

            She didn't say anything.

            "I want you to be honest, completely honest," he said.

            "Well…" she stalled.

            "Just say it."

            "Well," she said, careful not to look at him, "maybe it's because you act like that."

            He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, staring at his shoes. "I'm sorry I didn't come today," he said, still looking at his shoes.

            "That's alright."

            "I meant to, but then this…," he jerked his head at the door. "The duke decided to come."  

            "And I sense you aren't happy about that."

            "Your senses are right. He married the woman that I was supposed to marry."

            "What?" Ivy was shocked.

            "The woman my parents wanted me to marry."

            "Oh."

            "The problem is, I'm fine being friends with him."

            "Then why are you out here?" she asked.

            He sighed again. "Because my parents will not let go of the fact that she married him instead of me," he said bitterly. "Good riddance, I say, but they can't seem to get past it."

            Ivy nodded. She had reached him by now. She wasn't sure what to say, so she just stood next to him.

            "I was seventeen when they wanted me to marry her. Seventeen, Miss Scarlett!" he said dramatically.

            "That's young," she said mock-seriously.

            "It is! Why are you mocking me?"

            "I sympathize!" Ivy said jokingly, beginning to laugh.

            "Stop laughing!" he said, although a smile was beginning to form on his face.

            "I'm sorry…" was all she could say while looking at the look on his face.

            The prince began to laugh as well, the first time she had ever seen him do so. He seemed less… uptight when he laughed. She liked it. 

They began to laugh hysterically, leaning on each other, laughing even harder when people walked past them, giving them strange looks.

            "Well, Evelyn is expecting me, so maybe I should leave," Ivy said, her laughing dying down.

            "Oh right, of course. Good night, Lady Scarlett."

            "Be brave," she said. "Good night, your highness." She walked away.

            "It's Adrian!" she heard him call after her.

            She laughed and walked on. Could it be? Could the prince really be beginning to be nice? 

*****

            Adrian could still feel the smile on his face. He had never laughed like that before. What was it about Scarlett that made him do that? 

            His elation deflated when he realized he had to go back into the dining hall. His parents were being despicable toward the duke and duchess. With their fake smiles and jabbing comments, he felt ashamed to even sit at the table.

            Three years ago, Princess Alana had come to visit. Her country and Vievalla had long been friends, but Adrian's parents and hers had decided it would a grand idea to unite the kingdoms together. The only way to do that was a marriage. Adrian had found Alana to be prissy and pretentious while she probably felt the same about him. The duke, Adrian's longtime friend, had come to visit at the same time, and had instantly fallen in love with the princess. Nobody on any side was happy about this, except for Adrian, Alana and the duke. 

            Adrian took a deep breath. He watched Scarlett walk away… he wished he could have heard her say his name. An odd feeling lingered with him, even as he watched her turn the corner and out of sight. He stared at the dining hall doors. Wishing he was doing anything but what he was doing, he sighed and reentered the room.

*****

Ivy pondered the prince's strange behavior on the way to Evelyn. He had actually laughed. She smiled to herself… he had actually been fun to be around. She began to chuckle. A warm feeling had flooded her body when they had stood there, laughing together. 

            Ivy shook her head free of all thoughts relating to the prince. What nonsense! She knocked on Evelyn's door.  

"Ivy! I'm so glad you could come!" Evelyn opened the door.  She was dressed in fabulous blue dress that matched her eyes. 

            "Are you going somewhere?" Ivy asked, eyeing the gown.

            "Yes, and that's why I had to ask you to come. I know no one in this palace that I would actually go to for advice…I hope you don't mind?" she said worriedly, wringing her fingers together. 

            "It's fine," Ivy said. "What do you need advice about?"

            "Many things." Evelyn led Ivy to her bureau, on top of which lay more jewels than Ivy had seen in her life. 

            "I promised Julius I would meet him in the courtyard by the footbridge." Evelyn explained. "First things first. Is this dress too fancy?" she asked, swishing it around.

            "Well, it is rather elegant, but if you're fixing to impress him, I think it's perfect," Ivy said.

            This seemed to be the answer Evelyn was looking for. 

            "Next," she said, "which necklace?" She pointed to the three elaborate necklaces that lay on the bureau. One was all diamonds, with a large diamond drop at the end, one was sapphires, and the other was diamonds with a large sapphire.

            Ivy contemplated them for a second, then picked up the diamond one. 

            "This one, I think," she said, holding it up to Evelyn's neck and looking in the mirror. 

            "Wonderful," Evelyn said. "Earrings?"

            Looking at the large display of earrings, Ivy quickly picked out a similar diamond pair. 

            "Alright…hair. Up? Down? Half up half down?" Evelyn said.

            "Down, definitely down. Maybe some soft curls," Ivy said, not realizing she was playing with her own hair.

            "Sounds perfect," Evelyn said. "Could you do it for me?"

            Ivy nodded. She worked while Evelyn mused about Julius.

            "I have a pretty good idea he is going to ask to marry me again. But how can I? I cannot let the same thing happen to me twice." She sighed. "But he is rather wonderful. He's so sweet, and funny, and charming, and handsome. He can make me feel like we're the only two people in the world and yet…I just don't think I can."

            Ivy nodded. 

            "I just wish I knew for sure what he was all about," Evelyn continued. "Does he just want to be friends, like before? Or something more?"

            She fell silent, pondering herself in the mirror. 

            "Ivy?" she asked suddenly.

            "Yes?"

            "Have you ever been in love?"

            Taken aback, Ivy said, "No!…I don't think so." And then, for some reason, her thoughts flickered to the prince. _Nonsense!_

            But Evelyn had noticed.  She smiled and said, "Yes you have!"

            "No I haven't!" _Why won't that warm feeling go away?_

            Evelyn grinned wider. "Yes, you have…unless… you _are_ in love!"

            "What?"

            "You're in love right now, aren't you?"

            "No, I am not!"

            But Evelyn was not to be defeated. "Yes, you are! Tell me? Please? Please?"

            "There's nothing to tell, because I am not in love."

            Evelyn continued to persist, but finally Ivy said, "Ha! Your hair is done, and it is five minutes to eight! You have to leave."

            Evelyn sighed, but said, "Don't worry, you'll tell me soon enough."

            Ivy rolled her eyes as Evelyn put on her jewelry.

            "Um, Ivy?"

            "Yes?"

            "Will you walk with me to the courtyard?"

            Ivy sighed, but said, "I suppose so."

            They walked outside until they were feet within the bridge. Ivy could see the outline of a man standing there.

            "Well, here goes nothing, I suppose," Evelyn said. Ivy smiled at her encouragingly, and Evelyn left her.

            Now alone, Ivy decided to wander through the gardens.  The queen loved lilac, and the perfume of it filled the air. 

            "Adrian, darling, you must get married someday," she suddenly heard a voice say.

            "Yes mother. Someday. Not today." It was the prince and the queen! Ivy dove behind a large bush.

            "Darling, the Galinion princess is a lovely girl, and she will adore you. Just give it a go, alright?"   

            "No! Mother, I am sick and tired of being thrown at unsuspecting princesses just to find out that they will never like me and that I could never, ever be happy with them."

            From her place in the bush, Ivy could see the queen's eyes narrow. "Who are you? And what have you done with my son?"

            "What do you mean?"

            "The son I knew never a gave a whit about love and now you are complaining that we won't let you find it? What's changed?" She drew a sharp breath. "Who is she?"

            "There is no 'she', Mother. I've just been doing some thinking, that's all."

            "Well, good, it's about time. I was afraid an enchantress was going to come and change you into a beast or something for being so horrible."

            "Mother!"

            "Well, it's true. But if you truly have changed, then I thank the heavens for it."

            The prince sighed. 

            "Good night, darling."

            "Good night, Mother."  The queen left.

            Ivy tried very hard to breathe quietly.

            "You can come out now," the prince said. 

            "How do you always know I'm there?" Ivy said, coming out from behind the bush.

            "You breathe too loudly," Adrian said simply.

            Ivy sighed, and joined him on the stone balcony. The gardens were situated on the second floor of the enormous palace grounds, and they stood staring at the town below. 

            "A new princess, then?" she said.

            The prince rolled his eyes. "Unfortunately," was all he said.

            Ivy leaned over the railing to look at the ornate fountain below. 

            "It's a beautiful night," she thought out loud.

            "Yes."

            She looked thoughtfully at a couple sitting on the fountain's edge. 

            "Are the Galinions coming, then?"

            "Yes, next week. I'm guessing there will be a ball." He paused. "How long are you staying?"

            "Me? Mostly likely until the fall," she lied. "I have no desire to go home any earlier," she said, thinking of her real home.  She wondered what her stepmother was doing, and whether her stepsisters had found husbands yet. She laughed.

            "What?" the prince asked.

            "It is nothing. I was just thinking of home."

            He smiled, and closed the space between them.  She noticed he was looking at her locket.

            "May I?" he asked. She nodded.  He picked up the golden locket and opened it, revealing the deftly drawn sketches inside.

            "Is this your mother and father?" he asked.

            "Yes," she replied, trying not to think of how close he was.

            "They must miss you."

            She smiled. "It's more the other way around."

            He glanced up into her sad eyes, and then realized what she meant.

            "I am sorry, I-"

            "It's alright," she said, waving his apology away. "My mother died right after I was born, and my father was killed when I was ten years old."

            "I am sorry," he said and a trace of emotion flickered through his eyes.  They were awfully close, and Ivy could feel his breath on her cheek. She noticed she was breathing rather heavily herself. His lips were so close… she bit her bottom lip and pulled her eyes away from him.

            The clock rang half past eight, and the prince started. 

            "I should leave," he said.

            "I should, too."

            "Shall I escort you?"

            "Well, I have to return Evelyn's earrings to her, so I must go there."

            "I will escort you to Lady Evelyn's chamber then."

            She nodded, and they left. They didn't talk until they reached Evelyn's door.

            "Well, good night, Lady Scarlett," he said, bowing.

            "Good night, your-" He looked up warningly at her. "-Adrian," she finished.

            She opened the door, and he began to walk away. She closed the door just enough so that she could look out at him walking away. Suddenly, a servant, carrying a basket of wash, unable to see the prince, ran into him and spilled the whole contents of the basket on his head.

            "Oh! Your highness, I am so sorry…" the servant began to apologize profusely.

            "How dare you! Why didn't you watch where you were going?" the prince shouted.

            "I am sorry…"

            "Try to remember your eyes the next time you walk down a hall," he said scolding, then stalked off.

            Ivy's heart dropped, and she sighed. It couldn't be, she thought sadly. It couldn't be.

***See, wasn't that nice and long? The next chapter shall have some diabolical duchess plotting. And also, to the one and only RaspberryGirl:  Don't worry, the murder shall be explained. The truth shall be revealed! (sorry, I always wanted to say that.)


	9. Love, Perhaps?

            "I still do not understand."

            "Parveneh, must I explain everything a hundred times?"

The three women stood around the rose, which glowed a strong blue hue, contained inside a glass reliquary.

            "The rose," the duchess said, "will be the downfall of our sweet prince."

            "And why do we need to kill him?"

            "Because, as long as he lives, Ivy cannot be harmed, remember?" The duchess growled in her throat. She had found out about that stupid midwife's little charm, and she knew by now that the prince was Ivy's one true love.

            It was Souzan's turn to ask. "And why must we harm the both of them?"

            "Because, dear, with the prince gone, my ascension to the throne will be that much easier. And with the silly girl gone, the prince can be gone without any intrusion," the duchess said with a smile. "By selling my soul to the reliquary, I shall have powers beyond anyone's imagination. I need Ivy's life energy to make it stronger, so that we may go through with our plan."

            Souzan looked uncomfortable.

            "I still don't like the plan," she said nervously.

            The duchess didn't answer. She was leaning over a small pool of water. In the reflection, she watched as Ivy fell, as if dead, lying completely still. She saw Souzan take the form of Ivy, and the prince falling under her spell, to his death.

            "It will work," she whispered, to no one in particular. "And when it does, the kingdom of Vievalla will be mine."

********************

Ivy couldn't help but think of the prince the following day.  Try as she might, her heart continually dropped every time she thought of how she had been so sure he had changed. She worked in the garden, trying to suppress the hope that he might show up.

            "Why?" she suddenly said to herself. "Why do you care if he shows up? He is obviously still the mean, arrogant snob that you saw back at the chateau."

            But Ivy couldn't help but think that there was still a chance to turn him around.

            "And that some Galinion princess isn't good enough for him," she mumbled.

            "What was that?"

            Ivy yelped and turned around.  Adrian stood there, in his silly work clothes again, looking rather worried.

            "I am sorry, I did not mean to frighten you," he said.

            "It's alright," Ivy said. 

            "I am also sorry I am late," he said. "I was…delayed."

            Ivy just nodded.  She wasn't quite sure how to act around him. 

            "Is something wrong?" he asked.

            "No," she answered, although it sounded thoroughly unconvincing. 

            He nodded, and looked confused, but said, "So, what are we doing today?"

            "Gardenias," she answered. She showed him how to plant them, and he was soon engrossed and completely dirty. They worked side by side silently for a few minutes.

            "Are you sure nothing's wrong?" he said, looking sideways at her.

            She sighed. "It's nothing."

            He stopped working and leaned back on his knee, looking at her intently.

            "Scarlett," he said.

            "What?" she said, sounded exasperated.

            "You're lying to me."

            She leaned back as well, and looked at him. His brown eyes were looking fixedly into hers. She sighed, and broke the gaze.

            "I just…"

            "What?"

            She hesitated.

            "What is it you want to tell me?" he asked, knowingly.

            "It's just that…I thought you said you had changed."

            "What do you mean?"

            "When you took me to Evelyn's last night, I didn't close the door all the way," she said cautiously.

            He thought for a moment. "Oh."

            "I just thought…I mean, I think, that you can change."

            "How? How do you know?" he said, staring at her intensely now.

            "I don't know, I just do. Maybe I'm wrong, but I've seen it there in you."

            "Seen what?"

            She shrugged. "Good. Kindness…I don't know." She bit her lip. This was not the way this conversation was supposed to go. 

            He sighed. "Maybe you're right." He thought for a moment. "It's just that… why? Why should I change?"

            "Why not? You are going to be the king of this land one day."

            "Don't remind me."

            "One day your people will come to you for help, and you cannot turn them away like yesterday's bread. Because one day you will find the girl of your dreams, and she won't like arrogant snobs."

            He sighed heavily. "I doubt it."

            "Doubt what?"

            "That I shall ever find someone."

            "Don't say that."

            "It's true! My station has defined my entire life. I was told that one day I will find a beautiful princess and that we shall live happily ever after. And do you know what? I believed them. All of them. My parents, my tutors, the nobles…everyone. And look! I have met dozens of beautiful princesses and not one of them could I picture living happily ever after with. Scarlett, don't you understand? It isn't going to happen for me. I am not going to lead that life."

            She sighed, but didn't know what to say.

            There was a long pause. Adrian was staring intently at the dirt, twirling some of it with his finger. His brow was furrowed in thought.  Ivy watched him warily.

            "Might I ask you something?" she said.

            "What?"

            "Why do want to work on this garden with me?"

            He thought for a second. "Because, that was when I decided that maybe it was time for a change," he said with a sarcastic smile.

            She sighed. 

            "If you want to stop, don't feel like you can't," she said.

            It was his turn to sigh. "Do you really believe in me?" he said.

            "Yes," she said. "Even if you are a bit confusing."

            He chuckled. "Why, though?"

            "I guess it's because I have to believe that people can change. That things won't always go in circles. That people won't always stay the same, that someone or something can convince them that they have to change," she said fervently.

            "What do you mean?"

            "I mean that deep down inside, there is some good just dying to come out, all it takes is that one someone who can see it, and will it to come to the surface. That people who are terrible aren't really terrible, that they only appear that way because of some…insecurity.  Or something just as terrible had happened to them in the past, or some_one_…" she trailed off. She realized she had long ceased to be thinking about the prince…she had been thinking of her stepfamily.

            He was staring at her.

            "How do get so passionate about these things?" he asked. 

            "I don't really know," she said. "I don't get so passionate about everything… hardly anything, as a matter of fact."

            "But when you do, it's amazing."

            She looked at him quizzically. "Really?"

            "Yes. Just now, for instance, you weren't even looking at anything, your eyes just got this sort of glaze over them." 

            She took a deep breath, and created a little more space between them. He quickly filled it again.

            "Maybe I can change."

            "Do you mean it this time?"

            "Yes."

            "Then maybe this princess will the one," she said, sliding back from him again. He sighed.

            "Yes, maybe."

***

            Adrian thought with a mix of sadness and hope of his conversation with Ivy. He felt so drawn to her, and yet… she had distanced herself from him. He had been fascinated by her passion, but then she had said that the princess, of all people, could be the one. The princess!

            He wasn't actually falling in love with her, was he? No, of course not. She was just helping him, being a friend. And who knows, maybe she was right. Maybe the princess _would_ be the one; he would just have to wait and see.

***

            "It's the prince! The prince is the one you're in love with!"

            Evelyn was beside herself. Ivy had done nothing but discuss her conversation with the prince.

            "What? Yesterday you talked of nothing but Julius!" Ivy reprimanded.   

            "Yes, well, that's different. Julius has already proclaimed his love for _me._ I have every right to talk about him."

            "And to bore us all to death."

            "Julius is a wonderful man!" Evelyn cried.

            "I'm not saying he isn't. I'm just saying he's a bit more wonderful to you than he is to me."

            "That's fair."

            "But still, you are in love with him." Evelyn had not let the subject go.

            "I am not!"

            "Then why do you keep insisting that he's changing, and that he'll be such an amazing person when he does?" Evelyn said mockingly.

            "Because! I truly believe he will be!" Ivy said defensively. "Besides, it's all your fault he thinks I'm someone I'm not."

            "Oh, please. If he really does turn out to be this 'amazing person' you think he will, then you have nothing to worry about."

            "I have nothing to worry about anyways! We're barely even friends."

            "Oh really?" Evelyn raised an eyebrow. 

            "Yes."

            Ivy went to sleep that night, turning over everything in her mind. She wasn't in love with him. That's ridiculous. Anyway, he'll meet that princess next week and completely forget about Scarlett. Which was fine with Ivy. The sooner this was over, the better.

**** Sorry this took so long! It's been a little crazy, but I hope you will forgive me? Please? I hope the thing with the rose makes sense… think 'Anastasia'. It will make more sense as the story goes on, I promise! But for now, review! Or I shall not update! (just kidding) ~Emma


	10. The Princess

Chapter 10

            Ivy spent the better part of the week convincing herself that in no way was she attracted to the prince, and she did a pretty good job of it, too. The palace was in a flurry preparing for the Galinion princess to arrive.  It was the day before, and the queen had just made an announcement that the prince wanted to hold a ball in honor of the princess' arrival. Ivy was entirely unsure of whether that was actually what the prince wanted, but she was thrown into preparations and it was driven from her mind.

            She had just finished setting up some tables in the courtyard, and went to clean herself off. She washed her face and hands in a nearby basin, but froze when she heard a voice.

            "You were not in the garden today."

            She turned around, trying to subtly dust off her simple work gown.

            "Sorry," was all she managed to say. Adrian, however, looked worried.

            "Are you alright?" he asked.

            "Yes, I'm fine," she said, a little too brightly.

            "You seem…tired."

            "Well, I didn't get much sleep last night. It was dreadfully hot," she said, beginning to walk away. He caught her hand and brought her back.

            "Do you ever dress properly?" he said, with a hint of a smile.

            "I don't care for it," she said simply. There was a pause.

            "Are you sure you are alright?"

            "Yes."

            He nodded. "Then I suppose you've heard about 'my' ingenious idea," he said sarcastically.

            "The ball?"

            "That would be the one."

            "It sounds fun."

            "Fun? Are you kidding? Fun to spend five hours having your parents throw you at some girl who probably will talk about herself the whole time?  You're right, that does sound fun." He sighed and sat down on a bench.

            "Well, maybe this one is different."

            "Yes, and maybe she isn't."

            Ivy sighed, but didn't have anything to say.

            "It's just…" he began.

            "It's just what?"

            "What if I've become so cynical about love that I don't even realize it when it's there?"

            Ivy shrugged. "I think you'll know. It's usually rather obvious."

            "You think so?"

            She smiled at him. "I do."

            "Well, Miss Scarlett, I should probably leave. As always, it's been… enlightening to talk to you."

            "I think I'll take that as a compliment," she said. He smiled, bowed, then left. 

****

            Adrian lay awake that night. He thought of Scarlett, and a smile crept onto his face. She was so… different. And yet she was so beautiful, both inside and out. He thought of her chocolate-colored hair, and her insistence on wearing simple clothes. He thought of her smile, and how her whole spirit seemed to shine through when she smiled at him. 

            He awoke the next morning to a frustrated knot in the pit of his stomach. Today was the day.  He sighed and got out of bed, dressing himself and going for breakfast.

            "Adrian, darling," his mother said as he sat down at the breakfast table. "Do you feel it? That feeling of luck, I mean, love, in the air?"

            He only smiled vaguely and began to eat. The feeling of dread was returning, with every utterance that came from his mother's mouth.

            "Galinia is really a lovely country," she was saying. "The rolling fields, always green, and lovely clear blue skies, and such mild temperatures all year. I doubt that anyone could live in that country and not be perfectly lovely themselves!" she said, to which many people politely chuckled. Adrian had the insane urge to plunge his head into the porridge in front of him.

            His mother made him take a bath and put on some finer clothes. The Galinions were to arrive at noon, which was becoming increasingly closer.

            At last he was primped and pressed, and standing in the front hall with his mother and father.  He wished that the floor would just open and swallow him up, he wanted to not be there so badly. 

            _Just think of what Scarlett said, he reminded himself. _Maybe she will be the one. Maybe you will fall in love with her.__

            But I don't want to fall in love with her, he thought. 

            His thoughts were cut short by the sound of trumpets. The doors opened and the king and queen of Galinia stepped in, their air of majesty apparent to everyone present. 

            But behind them was what took Adrian's breath away. A vision in a blue gown stepped forward.

            All thoughts or feelings were driven from his mind except one: love.

***

            The day of the princess' arrival was completely crazy for Ivy. Servants were running every which way, and Ivy was pretty sure the princess hadn't even arrived yet. By noon, however, she heard trumpets sounding, and knew that the Galinions had come.  Filled with curiosity, she slipped from her place in the ballroom, setting up flags, and crept onto the staircase.  She could see the king and queen welcoming the princess, whom Ivy couldn't quite see.  She quietly went down a few more steps, and now the princess turned toward Adrian, and Ivy could see her. 

            The princess was more than beautiful; she had long, cascading golden hair, she was tall, and wore a glittering blue gown. Her blinding smile glittered even to where Ivy sat. Ivy heard her say,

            "Good day," to the prince. Adrian, however, couldn't seem to answer.

            "Goo—good day," he choked. "An honor to make your acquaintance," he said, kissing her hand. Ivy felt a slight sting of jealousy she had never felt before. She went back to the ballroom. On the way, she caught a glance of herself in the mirror.

            "I am definitely no princess," she said to herself. Her brown hair was a mess, partially hidden under a dirty rag. Her face was dirty and slightly sunburned, and her eyes seemed more dulled than usual. She sighed, but straightened up, smoothed out her dress, and marched onto the ballroom. 

            After her work was done, it was past dinnertime, and she felt somewhat down, so she decided to go visit Evelyn. She changed, scrubbed herself clean, brushed her hair, and left the servants quarters. She decided to walk outside since the late summer night was so beautiful.

            "Scarlett! Scarlett, wait!" It was the prince. She stopped, took a breath, then turned around.

            "How is everything going?" she asked.

            "You will never believe it." His expression was hard to see in the dark.

            "What?"

            "I mean, I don't even believe it."

            "What? What is it?"

            "I think I've fallen in love," he said, with a goofy smile.

            "What?" she said, surprised.

            "I know!"

            "And she's not conceited, or selfish or…"

            "No! She's intelligent and funny and clever and…well, beautiful." He continued to smile, and practically jumped, he seemed so excited.

            Trying to think of something to ask, Ivy said, "What's her name?"

            "Violet."

            "That's pretty."

            "It's the most wonderful sound in the world." He sighed. She looked at him as if he had lost his mind. That sting of jealousy from before now felt like a blow to the stomach.

            "Well, then I shouldn't keep you, should I?" she said weakly.

            "Oh, well, I just thought I'd tell you. I wanted to thank you."

            "Thank me? For what?"

            "For making me realize that maybe it was alright to fall in love."

            "Oh. Did I do that?"

            "Yes!"

            "Oh, well you don't have to thank me for it," she said, silently cursing herself.

            "Yes, well, I guess I should go."

            "Have fun," she said.

            "I will," he said, and then left, practically skipping.

            Ivy sighed, and had to sit down on a bench to keep herself from falling over. What had just happened? _Oh, admit it_, a voice said in her head. _You were hoping that this princess would be a bore so he would fall for you instead._  

            "I did not!" she said, feeling very confused. She stamped her foot on the ground, and got up. Instead of going to Evelyn's though, she went to bed. _I'll sleep on it_, she thought.

*******

            The next day, Ivy was set to work outside, setting up for the ball. She was working on lining plants along the staircase when a voice interrupted her.

            "Your country is very beautiful," it said. Ivy turned around to see the princess, staring out at the landscape. Up close, the princess was even more flawless than Ivy had imagined. She tried to quickly smooth her hair. 

            "Thank you, your highness," she said, curtsying.

            "My name is Violet," the princess said. "Like the flower?"

            Ivy forced a smile; she resented being talked to like she knew nothing just because she was a servant. She curtsied again and returned to her work.

            "Your prince is rather charming himself."

            Ivy made no answer.

            "What is your name?" the princess asked with a false kindness.

            Surprised, she replied, "Ivy." She paused. "Like the plant?"

            The princess laughed. "Touché."

            "The prince seems rather taken with you," Ivy said, an edge to her voice. The princess didn't notice.

            "Yes, he does. I must say, I wouldn't mind living here. It is gorgeous."

            Ivy continued to set up the plants. 

            "Well, I suppose I should be going."

            "Have a nice day, your highness," Ivy said, curtsying.

            "You too, Ivy."

A/N – Yay! That was a faster update than usual for me. So anyway, the prince is in love with the princess and Ivy is jealous. What next? Well, the next chapter will probably be entirely the duchess, so it may not be that long. Then the ball. :) 


	11. Of Schemes and Evil Things

A/N – Very short. I know.

****

            "Get out your dresses, ladies, we are going to the ball."

            The duchess smiled happily at the rose. Her own eyes glowed the same bright blue as the light that emanated from the vase. Her daughters watched her with a precarious caution. The room was silent, the power of the rose intense in the air. 

            "That idiotic fool!" Souzan suddenly said. She was watching in the mirror pool, and was horrified to see that the prince was falling in love with the Galinion princess. "Mother, she is ruining our plan!"

            The witch-duchess crossed over and looked into the pool as well. The prince, to her revulsion, was professing his love to the princess in his diary.

            "How dare she!" she cried.

            The duchess crossed over to the large gilded mirror that hung on the wall. She saw her own reflection, powerful and menacing. Her whole body seemed luminous with a vibrant blue light. The rose had taken its hold of her; she had sold every fragment of her soul to its evil power. To take over the kingdom, she needed every last ounce of Ivy's life energy, but the girl could not be harmed whilst the prince lived. Some stupid princess was not about to ruin her plan.

            Her plan, and it was a good one, was to end Ivy's silly masquerade at the ball and bring her to the castle. Once she was in an eternal slumber, Souzan would take Ivy's form and the duchess could easily cast a spell over the weak prince, leading ultimately to his downfall.

            She waved her hand across the mirror. The reflection swirled, and the face of Violet appeared, staring complacently back at them.

            "Love not who professes his love for you. Leave shortly and never return," the duchess said in a deep and terrible voice, her hand outstretched over the princess' reflection. Violet's face disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

            "That will take care of that," the duchess said, returning to the pool.

            "What about the king and queen?" Parveneh asked worriedly.

            "They are only too easy to kill," the duchess answered simply. Her ploy would work, and the kingdom of Vievalla would be hers.

            The night of the ball, the duchess was only too ready to go through with her plan. 

            "Ready, my daughters?" The duchess, dressed in an elaborate satin gown, stood at the doors to the castle, her smile wicked and full of malice.          

            Souzan and Parveneh came down the steps, dressed in similarly ornate gowns. They, however, did not seem as thrilled with the plan as their mother. They both had worried, anxious looks on their faces as their mother smiled at them.

            "Shall we?" the duchess said, and then led her daughters out of the castle and on to the royal palace.

****

Ivy didn't the prince all week, at least up close. She saw him a few times while she was getting the ball prepared. He tended to languish around with a glazed look in his eyes, or he was babbling on to other servants about what Violet liked and what she didn't like. It was quite aggravating, and Ivy occasionally let her anger out on a plant or a tablecloth. She had spent time with Evelyn, who was still entirely convinced that Ivy was in love with him. Ivy was even more excited that week because her lilies had begun to grow, and she had placed some in the ballroom. 

            She had a lot of time to think, and realized that she was tired of being Scarlett, and of not being able to tell Adrian.  _I could tell him…I should tell him!_ she thought, but then thought of how he may not trust her anymore. At one desperate point, she almost admitted to herself that she had feelings for him, strong feelings, but quickly suppressed them.

            The week before the ball, Ivy was increasingly feeling weary. No matter how much sleep she got at night, she could not keep her energy up. She put it down to all the hard work that went into preparing the ball. 

            All in all, by the time for the ball had come, Ivy was quite glum. She finally finished her last plant in the ballroom, and went to Evelyn's, as Evelyn had asked her to come help her get ready.

            "Oh, Ivy, I hate seeing you this miserable." Evelyn swished around in her elegant purple dress.  "That stupid princess. Who does she think she is?"

            "A _princess_," Ivy said. "Even if my stepmother hadn't come, I'd still only be a duchess."

            "And what sort of a name is Violet?" Evelyn said. "Ivy is pretty, but Violet? Who names their child Violet?"

            "Kings and queens, I suppose."

            "Oh Ivy…" she thought for a moment. "Come to the ball with me!"

            Ivy looked up in surprise. "Really?"

            "Of course! You are still my cousin, you know."

            Ivy was so dismal and so sullen that she said, "Alright, then."

            "Excellent! I have just the dress for you." She swooped to her closet and rummaged around. Finally, she drew out a gorgeous, satin, emerald green dress. 

            "Oh, Evelyn! It's beautiful!"

            "And it will match your eyes perfectly!" Evelyn said excitedly.

            They finished getting ready together. They did each other's hair and Evelyn allowed Ivy to borrow some jewelry.

            "I just wish you could tell him how you feel," Evelyn said.

            "How? You can barely talk to him, he's pining so."

            "Well, his loss, I say." A bell struck in the distant. "Oh, dear, we're late!" The two girls sprung up and hurried out of the room trying to walk as calmly and quickly as possible. 

**** Ok, I know, I KNOW, it's major short. MAJOR! However, the ball begins immediately in the next chapter, and a lot happens at the ball, so I wanted to keep it a surprise. (unless you read the old version, and then it won't be so much of a surprise.) Call me evil, call me names, but at least put them in the form of a review!


	12. The Ball

A/N – Yeah, sorry about the super short chapter last time. And sorry this took so long. I hope the rose-plot makes sense, as it will be put into action, um, right about now. Many things will change here at the ball, so let's find out, shall we? ~Emma

The Ball

            Evelyn and Ivy reached the ballroom just in time to see the orchestra begin to play. The room was filled with twinkling lights; the festive decorations gave the room a cheery glow. The chandelier hung majestically from the ceiling, and the innumerous nobles waltzed gaily across the floor. Julius soon came over and claimed Evelyn, and so Ivy stood alone. There were so many people… she caught a glimpse of the princess and Adrian standing next to the king and queen. The princess actually looked quite distant, and Adrian seemed not as glossy as usual…but that may have been her imagination.

            The night went on, and Ivy was asked to dance several times. She saw little of Evelyn, but every so often she caught a glimpse of her waltzing with Julius. She was standing at the top of the stairs when she saw the prince at the bottom, waving up at her.  She walked down to him, trying to breathe calmly.

***

            The shroud over Adrian's mind was beginning to fade. The princess, although kind and gentle at first, had been distancing herself from him the past few days. He was beginning to realize that while her beauty stayed all the time, her witty charm did not. He longed to have a substantial conversation with her, but all she seemed to be able to talk about was the ball. 

            He stood next to her and his parents, looking out over the sea of nobles. His eyes fell on a figure at the top of the stairs, dressed in a stunning emerald gown.

            "Scarlett," he said softly to himself.

            "What was that dear?" his mother asked.

            "Oh, nothing, Mother," he said quickly. He looked back over at Scarlett. What was he doing? He had been wasting all this time with Violet when he could have been spending time with her. The shroud crashed into a million pieces. There was only one person he wanted to be with tonight.

            He excused himself and hurried over to the stairs.

***      

            "Hello, Adrian," Ivy said, curtsying.

            "Hello, Miss Scarlett," he said, sounding choked. "You look… lovely."

            "Thank you. How is everything going?" she asked, cocking her head in the direction of the princess.

            "Oh…fine, I suppose. Say, would you care to dance?"

            "Of course," she said, and she let him lead her out onto the dance floor. They waltzed around for a while, chatting when they could. She told him about how her lilies had come up.

            "I am so sorry I have not come to the garden," he said at this. "I meant to, but my parents had other plans."

            "Completely understandable," she said.

            "I miss it, though. Getting dirty… and our talks… I suppose I just miss you," he said, his eyes yearning, right before he was swept off into the arms of another partner.  Ivy spun around with her new partner as she thought about what he said. She had an answer all ready for him, but he was taken out of the dance by his mother.  Ivy's heart fell; she had had the determination right at that moment, and now it broke. She sighed, and left the dance as well.  She went outside to get a breath of fresh air.

            "I wished to speak with you, but I couldn't even hear myself think in that ballroom." It was the princess' voice. Ivy panicked, and opened a servant door and hid behind it.

            "What did you wish to tell me?" It was Adrian.

            "Well, Adrian, I've had a wonderful time here in your country. It's really beautiful, and the people are just lovely."

            "But?" he said, sounding as if he knew the answer.

            "But I want to marry for love, more than anything in the world. And I know that marrying you would be a wonderful opportunity for our countries, but I just can't let my dream go. I just don't feel that way about you."

            There was a silence. 

            "I understand," Adrian said. "I would not want to bring you pain."

            "It's not that I don't like you, it's just I don't…love you."

            "Well, I suppose it's time we said goodbye then."

            "Yes, I suppose so."     

            "Well then, goodbye Violet. Good luck."

            "Goodbye Adrian." Her dress rustled as she walked away.  There was silence again, unless you counted Ivy's wheezing noises as she tried not to breathe loudly.

            "Scarlett, can you come out now?"  

            She stamped her foot and opened the door to meet him.

            "That's just creepy, you know," she said. 

            "Well, you're terrible at breathing quietly."

            "Sorry."

            "No, I'm glad you heard it. Ecastatic, actually."

            She walked closer to him. He was actually calmer than she had expected, leaning against the balcony's rail.  He looked awfully handsome as well, with his black hair falling into his face, and his brown eyes lit by the moonlight, staring imploringly at her.  She leaned onto the rail as well.

            There was an odd silence.

            "So," she said.

            "Yes."  They both stood there, unsure of what to say. Other people were coming onto the balcony, trying to escape the stuffiness of the ballroom.

            "Scarlett, I wanted to tell you something earlier, when we were dancing," he said.

            "And what was that?"

            "Well, I did miss you. A lot. And I thought a lot, as well. And I think, I mean, I _know_, I mean…I think I came to the realization that…" he trailed off.

            "What?" she said.

            "Well, that I lo-"

            "Ivy?" a clear, cold voice rang through the air. Ivy froze, and her insides turned to stone. A panic flooded through her, but she bit her lip very hard and turned around.

            It was her stepmother.  She stood there, staring at Ivy were her icy blue eyes, making Ivy feel as if she had turned into a statue. 

            "Duchess Catalina, what a pleasure," Adrian said. "Miss Scarlett, I don't know if you've met-"

            "Oh, she knows me, your highness." She focused her attention on Ivy. "How dare you! Taking off like that, coming to the city, pretending to be a courtier of all the absurd nonsense!" The duchess began to circle Ivy, laughing maliciously. 

            "Duchess, I think you have made a mistake. This is Lady Scarlett."

            "This is no lady, your highness. My _daughter_ is a lady. _I_ am a lady. But this," she pointed a long finger at Ivy, "this is just a servant. A servant who is no better than the dirt under my shoe. A servant who has deceived you, and apparently everyone in your home, your highness, and I am ashamed to call her her father's daughter."

            Ivy felt the ice be melted away by anger.

            "She works for me, she ran away, and now I see where she has been."

            "You _told_ me to leave! You _told_ me to get out of your house! I was never any good to you and I never will be! My father was a good man, and _you _are the one who should be ashamed! My father may have been deceived in you, but I know who you are! You are a cold, wicked, evil witch!" Ivy yelled, tears beginning to pour down her face.

            "So it's true?" the small, hurt voice of Adrian came from behind her.  She turned around, blinded by her tears and by her anger. 

            "Yes, alright?" she said, her anger getting the better of her. "My name is Ivy, your highness, but my father was a duke, and I was treated like a duke's daughter, until _she_," she pointed at the duchess, "came and bewitched him! I'm fine being a servant, I really am, but I cannot stand to see my father's memory be torn to shreds by her horrible, selfish tricks!" She stopped, breathing heavily.

            "The pastries…" he said.

            "Was me," Ivy finished. 

            "And you're a servant."

            She nodded. The duchess smiled wickedly.

            "And you lied to me this whole time."

            "Your highness, I-"

            Something seemed to break inside him. "I poured my heart out to you! And there you were, just trying to see if you could trick me into marrying you! I thought I loved you!" he yelled. 

            Angry, Ivy said bitterly, "You can't love someone who doesn't exist." 

            He stopped short. He looked into her eyes for a moment, but then said, "I've had enough." Then he turned, and left. 

            Ivy stood there, watching his retreating back, instantly regretting everything she had said, until she felt an icy hand on her shoulder. 

            "Well, you insolent wretch. I have plans for you. Come."  The duchess steered her around and they walked to where their carriage was.  Ivy had the strangest feeling; as if she was being forced to walk, as if by some magic. She slumped into the carriage, and they drove off.  The carriage was completely silent, and Ivy wiped the tears from her eyes. 

            After what seemed like two hours, Ivy finally broke out of her remorseful reverie and looked out the window.

            "We're not going the right way," she exclaimed.

            "Yes we are," the duchess said, her blue eyes glinting eerily. 

            After another hour, Ivy watched as a great, massive castle came into view, standing tall on an island in an enormous lake. It was the most horrible castle she had ever seen. It was black, and was shining sinisterly in the moonlight. But clouds soon covered up the moon, and thunder was heard in the distance.  By the time the carriage got to the castle, rain was pouring, and lightning was flashing, giving the castle an even creepier look than before.

            "Well, here we are," the duchess said.

***Uh-oh! What will happen next! I promise that the next chapter will be faster. Really, I do! In the meantime, however, you can go check out my new fairy tale! And review! ~Emma


	13. The Castle

A/N – Sorry for the wait guys! I've been so busy, and I attempted to post both a new Harry Potter fic and an original fic at fictionpress.com (pen name NosilaRider) but since no on has reviewed (except for the lovely Natassha), I think I'll take them both down. Anyway, on with the story!

*~*~*~*~*

            The carriage pulled up to the castle, rain hammering the windows. The twisted castle rose up for what seemed like forever, and lightning flashed across the dark sky.  

            "Get out," the duchess ordered.  Ivy numbly got out of the carriage and was instantly soaked to the bone. The duchess grabbed her firmly by the arm and pulled her toward the castle.  

            Once inside, Ivy stared around. Everything was dark, and pointy, it seemed. The grand staircase loomed in front of her, and there was an eerie glow about the place. The duchess, however, smiled. 

            "Welcome to your new home," she said sadistically. Ivy felt a wave of fear come over her.

            "Why am I here?" she asked.

            The duchess only smiled.  She grabbed Ivy's arm again and led her up the stairs.  They went up and up and up until they reached a tiny room at the top of a tower.

            "Get in there," the duchess said, throwing Ivy into the room. Then she closed the door, and Ivy heard the click of the lock. She slumped helplessly against the cold, damp brick wall, and sat down.  She coughed, feeling a sickness coming on. Her ball gown was torn and soaked, and her hair was sticking to her face.  She wiped the rain off her forehead, and tried to clear her head.

            Regret filled up inside of her.  She had had no right to direct her anger at Adrian. She wasn't mad at him, it was her stepmother! She loved him… She desperately wished she had thought things through.  His face had looked so hurt…oh, this was all her stepmother's fault. And why was she here, anyway? What did the duchess want with her? Fear and sorrow welled up inside of her, and she began to cry. 

*****

            Adrian had gone straight to his room.  He sat on his window seat, watching the rain fall down against the window. Why would she lie to him? 

            _Why wouldn't she lie to you? _a voice said. _Don't you remember what you were like when you first met her?_

            She could have told me the truth, he thought.

            _No she couldn't.  What would have said? You would have turned her away._

            He sighed. You're wrong, he thought.

            _I'm not wrong, I'm your conscience! She was angry at her stepmother, she didn't mean to hurt you._

            Yes, she did. She meant to hurt me from the start.

            _She loves you! And you just handed her to her doom! You know that duchess is no good. She'll kill her!_

            Well, maybe I don't care.

            _Oh, you'll care. I will never cease until you care._

            Ivy's face flickered in his mind. It _did_ make sense…no, she had meant to hurt him, and, though he wished to not admit it, hurt him she had. 

******

            Ivy had finally fallen asleep listening to the sound of the rain. The morning sun had broken through the clouds, but it did nothing to cheer her. The tiny window in her tower let in a weak ray of sun, causing her squint. She coughed, her lungs and throat burning. The damp room, the cool air, and her wet hair and clothes had all joined together to make her terribly ill and miserable. She shivered, clinging to the remnants of her dress.

            Suddenly, the door opened.  The duchess stood there, but not as Ivy had ever seen her before. She was dressed all in black, a shimmering black that glinted in the sun.  She carried a staff that held a shining black orb at the top.  Ivy was oddly entranced by this orb, and it began to swirl. 

            "Eat this," the duchess said coldly, thrusting a plate into Ivy's hands. "It's all you will have to eat today." Ivy nodded stupidly, still staring at the staff. The duchess shut the door, and Ivy snapped out of her trance.  She looked down; on the plate was a crust of bread. She sighed heavily, and decided to save it, completely forgetting about the staff.

******

            "That stupid girl. I knew I should have done this years ago." The duchess paced her chamber, her two daughters watching her nervously.

            "Mother, she's sick. Can't you at least move her to a better spot in the castle?" Parveneh asked anxiously.

            The duchess whirled around, glaring daggers at her daughter. "She deserves no better." Parveneh fell silent.

            "When will we go through with the plan?" Souzan asked nervously.

            "Tomorrow night. While the girl sleeps in an eternal slumber, you shall take her place as the queen. You will be her, and he will forever be under your spell, and at the appointed time you shall reveal your true self."

            Souzan smiled, albeit apprehensively.

            The duchess stirred the cauldron, making it emit a hissing noise. The rose now hovered, suspended in midair above the cauldron. Its troubling blue light filled the room with an unearthly glow. The duchess smiled up at it, her eyes filled with the light, making her appear stronger and more fearsome than ever.

            "We shall see if true love really conquers all."

********

            Ivy fell more and more ill. She now lay on the floor of the tower, a feverish sweat adorning her forehead. The night fell, bringing with it a cool breeze. Ivy smiled, slightly delusional, as the breeze danced through the room. She coughed, rolling onto her side. She thought of Adrian.

            "I have no prince to save me," she murmured to herself. She pulled herself up onto her elbows, sagging against the wall. "But I am a damsel in distress!" she cried, bringing her knees up to her face, the tears starting to fall.

            "I need my prince," she whispered.

            She sat like that for quite some time. Her eyelids were heavy and she felt an odd feeling of serenity, as if she were parted from her ailing body. 

Somewhere, far off, she heard music. She immediately fell under its spell, listening to it intently. It gradually grew louder, with Ivy falling deeper and deeper into a trance. It was now loud enough that it sounded as if it was right outside her door. She stood up unconsciously and walked toward the door, which opened silently. She saw, rather than heard, the music; a playful breeze blew outside her door.

            She walked down hallways, and up a long, spiral staircase. Her green eyes were fixed on the wind, which grew ever stronger. Up and up she went, the music growing faster and intense. Her pale face was still beaded with sweat, and the tattered train of the dress trailed behind her. 

            She finally reached a small room, which was filled with a soft blue light.  Still strongly entranced by the music, she saw a sharp spindle glinting in the light.

            Her arm outstretched, she could think of nothing but touching the spindle. Her feet carried her slowly toward it.

            "Yes," came a voice. To Ivy, it sounded warm and inviting. "Touch the spindle."

            Ivy reached the spindle. Her hand reached out, but it hesitated.

            "Go on." The breeze blew strongly at her back.

            She lowered her hand, and pricked her finger on the point.  She fell to the ground, and knew no more.

********

            "She is gone."

            The duchess appeared in the chamber, her face twisted into a horribly ominous smile. Parveneh gasped and held a hand to her mouth, but Souzan only smiled.

            Their mother walked to the cauldron, bubbling like mad. She stirred it, making it sporadically gave off sparks and sizzles. Souzan was as pale as a ghost, but she nodded and stepped forward. Parveneh stood in the corner, biting her nails so furiously they began to bleed. 

            The duchess reached a hand out, and the mirror on the wall swirled into an image of Ivy, lying as if peacefully asleep on a bed. Holding her staff aligned with the mirror, she stood between the mirror and the cauldron.  Suddenly, a force of green, sparkling light crackled from the mirror to the staff, and the orb on the staff changed from black to green. The duchess smiled, her eyes alight with the green glow.  The image of Ivy had changed; her arm now fell, dangling off the side of the bed.  The duchess then held the staff over the cauldron, and the green light nearly poured into it. The brew gave a great crack.

            "Come, my daughter, the brew is ready," the duchess ordered. Souzan stepped onto the platform that held the cauldron. She looked up, the rose glowing menacingly down at her.  She took a deep breath, and nodded to her mother.

            "Until we meet again," the duchess said. Then, she lifted her arms, and sent a ray of light into the cauldron. An explosion blinded them, and then suddenly Souzan was enveloped in a beam of blue light. The duchess and Parveneh watched with horrid fascination as Souzan's golden locks became brown, and her features took on the shape of Ivy's. Then, with a blast of light, she was gone.

********

            Adrian stayed in his room for days on end, not knowing what to do. His heart was very heavy, and his conscience would not leave him alone. He knew, somewhere, deep down, that he loved her. But his pride would not let him believe it.

            He avoided everyone, including his family.  On more than one occasion, someone had tried to call on him, but he needed the time to think and figure things out. And think he did. He came to the conclusion that love was nothing but façade for when people want something that they would not normally be able to get. 

            One night, one of the first nights he ventured out of his room, as he was standing on his balcony, he saw a girl standing below.  A strange feeling came over him, and he was immediately entranced.  A haze came over his eyes, and he saw her smile a peculiar smile. For once, his conscience was silent.

            It was her. It was Ivy.


	14. Trouble in Paradise

            Adrian passed through the days, mind-numbingly content. His mind had a foggy, hazy sort of feel, as if he were constantly dreaming. He had forgiven Ivy in an instant – how could he not? 

            Yet, something was wrong with this blissful ignorance. Something kept tugging at the edge of his brain, as if this wasn't quite right. But why wouldn't it be right? Ivy was here… she was perfect.

            "Adrian, darling," Ivy whimpered next to him. "It is so dreadfully hot."

            "Is it?" he answered, in a voice that was not his. His voice had become monotone, almost mechanical. "Well, I wish I could change the weather for you."

            "Don't be silly, Adrian. But you could fetch me some lemonade, if you don't mind."

            "Of course." He stood up and retrieved some lemonade, then set it back down for her.

            "This has no ice."

            "Sorry." He stood back up and placed some ice in the glass.

            "Thank you, honey."  Ivy twirled the liquid around with her finger, every so often tasting it. Adrian watched her, the hazy edge around his mind growing thinner. What was it that was so different? 

            But then she turned her eyes toward his, and the shroud recovered his brain. 

****

            "Perfect, she is doing wonderfully!"

            The duchess and Parveneh were sitting in the castle, watching the events between Souzan and the prince unfold, thanks to the duchess' faithful magic mirror. 

            "What if Ivy wakes up?" Parveneh asked, carefully avoiding her mother's eyes.

            "She won't, Parveneh, and that is the last time I will tell you!" the duchess yelled at her daughter. "Her only escape is true love, and he's a bit tied up at the moment. She's fading away even as we speak," she mused, and then laughed a high, cold, shrill laugh that filled the castle.

****

            The days were long, the late summer sun soaking up the hours. Adrian stayed forever at Ivy's side, as if there was some sort of magic holding them together. He was happy, except for that feeling that continued to harass him. But by and by, the feeling was cast aside and Adrian found himself asking his mother for the family diamond ring.

            Ivy was sitting outside, reading a book. She smiled at him as he came closer, the ring in a box behind his back. The fog around his mind was thick, impenetrable as she smiled. 

            "Are you alright, darling?" she asked with a smile.

            "I want to ask you something," he found himself saying.

            "Well, what is it?"

            He cleared his throat and knelt down beside her.

            "Will you marry me?" he said, not quite registering the words in his head.

            Ivy's mouth opened wide, and she smiled.

            "Of course I will!"

***

            "Well, we must have a ball for the engagement!" 

            Adrian and Ivy had just told the king and queen the news, and they were thrilled. They didn't care who he married, as long as he was married.

            "A ball!" Ivy simpered. "How lovely!"

            "Yes, and as soon as possible," the queen said. "How about next Saturday? That gives us the week to plan! Come, Ivy, I want to show you some things." The queen and Ivy linked arms and walked away.

            "Well, my son!" the king clapped a hand on his shoulder. "She's not…really what I expected…but if she makes you happy, and makes my wife happy, then I'm happy, I suppose."

            "Thank you, father."

            "Besides, she'll make a wonderful princess! Women like that always do…they make good figureheads, good symbols for the country. Vievalla needs someone like her."

            Adrian only nodded. With Ivy gone from the room, that nagging feeling came back. His mind's eye seemed to be refocusing, and seemed to be coming out of a trance…

            "Adrian!" Just then, Ivy came back into the room, and the cloud came back over his mind. "Come and see what your mother has planned!"

            "Yes, my love," he said, and followed her out.

***

            _That isn't Ivy_.

            Adrian was lying on his bed, his only time alone, away from Ivy. His conscience had returned, apparently.

            It has to be, he thought. How could it not be her?

            _You know it's not her. Find out the truth!_

            Be quiet, he thought.

            _That duchess has something up her sleeve. I won't stop until you find out what!_

            Adrian sighed, staring up at the ceiling. His mind was again refocusing itself, just as it did every time Ivy left the room. Could it be that it really wasn't Ivy? Had he just offered marriage to a complete stranger?

            But just then, and overwhelming wave of sleep came over him, and he thought on it no more.

***

            Planning the ball apparently required Adrian to be at Ivy's side every hour of the day. He followed her around like a puppy, eagerly approving all her wonderful plans.

            They had just finished deciding on flowers when Ivy declared she was just famished.

            "Then let us go in and eat something, my love," he said, leading her up to the patio. He ordered the servants to bring them the food outside, and then they settled in the table.

            "A beautiful day," Ivy said, turning her head away to look out on the land. Adrian leaned back in his chair, the absence of Ivy's stare allowing time for all his unfinished thoughts to come back. He chewed his lip, trying to decide what to believe. The cloud was thinning; he was beginning to feel like himself again. 

            Before he could come to a decision, a servant came out carrying trays of food. Adrian kept his eye on the plate, for he, too, was ravenous. He began to eat, not once looking at Ivy.

            "The ball is going to be lovely, isn't it dear?" she asked.

            He looked up, but gasped instead of answering.

            Her eyes were blue.

***

            "What's wrong? Why are her eyes returning to blue?" Parveneh asked, looking worriedly at her mother, whose eyes had turned to stone.

            "Something is happening," she said softly. "Ivy must be getting stronger… but how?"

            She paced the space, the rose glinting in the candlelight.

            "Mother! Look!" Parveneh said, pointing to the mirror.

            Adrian could be seen pacing his chambers, obviously thinking hard. The duchess' face was livid.

            "How dare he!" she cried, throwing a flame from her hand to the mirror. Souzan, as Ivy, appeared in the mirror, looking worriedly back at them.

            "Yes, Mother?" she asked tentatively.

            "Keep a closer eye on him," her mother replied dangerously. Souzan nodded nervously, and her image disappeared.

            "What are you going do?" Parveneh asked anxiously.

            "There is only one thing to do," the duchess said, the image in the mirror turning to Ivy, lying lifeless on her bed.

            "It is time to say goodbye to our sleeping beauty."

*****Okay, pleeeeeeeeeease don't hate me. I know it's short, and I know it's been a long time coming, but just think about this: We only have two more chapters! Call me sentimental, but I like to restrain the end of the story as much as possible. Meaning I don't want it to end… understand? Probably not. Oh well. :)


	15. Rescue

            Adrian paced his room, his mind full of thoughts. Her eyes had been blue. But this made no sense. It was impossible! One's eyes do not just suddenly change colors… perhaps it was he who had something wrong. There had to be an explanation… but what? Someone knocked at his door.

            "Adrian, darling, are you alright?"

            It was Ivy. Her voice was still the same – the cloud returned. He walked to the door and opened it to find Ivy… her eyes as green as they ever were.

            She smiled, and the stupor came back over his mind full force. Adrian smiled back and numbly followed her to the ballroom.

***

            Later that week, the ball was in full swing. It was a glamorous event; everyone was dressed in their finest attire, the decorations were decadent, the cake was fifteen layers, and fireworks went off in the sky. Adrian stood next to Ivy, nodding at nobles passing by.  His mind was thicker than usual; he had been with Ivy all day. The tumultuous week had left him tired, but his conscience had been silent all day.

            "Well, I do think it is high time for a dance. Ivy, will you join me?" the king said, graciously offering his arm to Ivy.

            "Of course, your majesty," she said, and they swept off to the dance floor.

            Adrian followed them with his eyes. He was beginning to feel quite jealous when an angry voice spoke from behind him.

            "I must speak with you, your highness."

            He turned around, and came face to face with a very incensed Lady Evelyn.

            "Lady Evelyn, how do you-"

            "There's no time." And with that, she grabbed his wrist firmly and forced him away from the dance floor and to an adjoining room.

            "How dare you!" he said, when she finally let go of his wrist.

            "That is not Ivy," she said softly, but very dangerously.

            "What do you mean?" 

            "I mean that that wench of a stepmother took Ivy away! Besides I just asked her if she would be so kind as to look at the lilies she planted, and she stared at me as if she had never seen me before!" She was yelling now. "That duchess is no ordinary duchess, your highness, she's done something to Ivy and she's doing something to you!"

            Adrian continued to look at her, the fog still covering his mind. The words she had said weren't sinking in.

            "Your highness? Are you even listening to me?"

            "Pardon?"

            Her face livid, Evelyn stepped toward him and slapped him hard across the face. Instead of being angry, though, it seemed to finally clear his head.

            "Now, are you just going to stand here?" Evelyn asked furiously.

            "But wait, if that isn't Ivy, then who is it?" he asked, horrified.

            "I wouldn't be surprised if it was one of her cockney stepsisters," Evelyn said resentfully.

            "This doesn't make any sense," he said his mind reeling. A feeling of guilt was welling up inside of him.

            "Yes, it makes perfect sense! The duchess, who must be a sorceress of some sort, deliberately revealed Ivy's identity to you so that you would hate her so that she could take Ivy away to do heaven knows what to her, and send one of her spoiled brats to trick you into giving up the throne!"

            He stared at her.

            "I've given this a lot of thought," she said.

            "But where is Ivy? What has she done with her?" he said quickly.

            "Oh, so you care now?" Evelyn asked, her eyebrow raised.

            "Yes! I was being stupid, I shouldn't have…I shouldn't have done a lot of things," he said, all his regret and remorse washing over him like a tidal wave. What if he was too late?

            "Well, it's no use just standing here, let's go try and find her!"

***

            The sleep that Ivy slept was a tortuous one. To ensure that she did not regain any of her life energy, the duchess was slowly filling Ivy's head with painful, agonizing thoughts and dreams. Although her body lay still, Ivy's mind was dreaming; thoughts and images racing across her mind's eye. Not conscious thoughts, but thoughts that the duchess sent to her brain, tormenting Ivy even as she lay almost lifeless.

            By causing Ivy to suffer even in her lifeless state, it was only a matter of time before the duchess could do away with Ivy forever.

            Images of her father's death played out slowly in her mind; Ivy's young face full of unknowing grief and fear; her father's last words echoing in her mind.

            Then, the image shifted to the duchess' sneering face. As if someone were whispering in her ear, Ivy heard,

            "I killed your father."

***

            "What am I supposed to do? I have no idea where Ivy is!" 

            Adrian and Evelyn had escaped the ball and were running with all their might toward the stables. 

            "You're lucky, because I think I do," panted Evelyn, reaching for a strawberry roan. 

            Adrian was too worried to ask how, and instead mounted his black mare.

            "This way!" Evelyn shouted as she began to ride north. 

            They rode as fast as the horses could go. Soon they were deep within the forest, where the trees were so thick and the sky so dark that Adrian wondered how the horses knew where to go. He strained his eyes to see Evelyn; he caught glimpses of her every so often in a sliver of moonlight. By and by she would yell, "Turn left!" or "Make a sharp right!" After over an hour of riding, Adrian was practically frozen to his horse. The poor mare was still trying to gallop, trying to keep up with Evelyn's lively roan. 

            Suddenly, Evelyn yelled back to him, "We're almost there! Look!" 

            Adrian lifted his eyes to see an enormous black castle, glittering through the trees. His heart leapt into his throat.

            A few minutes later, Evelyn slowed down her horse, and Adrian's was only too happy to follow suit. The castle rose up before them, at least six stories high, with countless turrets and towers. Adrian leapt off his horse and was running down the drive when he stopped.

            "So nice of you to come."

            The duchess had appeared on the steps, her hand rubbing the orb on her staff. Her daughters were behind her, including Souzan, who waved teasingly.  Adrian felt Evelyn come up next to him, breathing heavily. 

            "I would let you in, but I'm afraid you will find nothing to your fancy," the duchess continued, in an icy cold voice.

            "Where is she?" Adrian demanded, glaring at the woman.

            The duchess cackled.

            "Who, you're poor little servant girl? She is… indisposed, at the moment," she said, and then laughed again.   

            "What have you done to her?" he said, beginning to unsheathe his sword. The duchess noticed this and laughed even harder.

            "What are you going to do?" she began, stepping down the stairs, her staff glinting oddly in the moonlight. "Kill me?" she said softly, dangerously, coming so close to him he could have stabbed her straight through her black heart. 

            Adrian remained still, his hand frozen on the hilt of his sword. She smiled.

            "I thought not. Follow me," she said, sweeping back toward the castle.  Adrian felt a pull at his navel and his feet began to walk behind her. 

            The duchess led him and Evelyn, with the sisters trailing behind, through the great hall, and down a narrow passageway which Adrian knew could only end in one place: the dungeons. 

            "Here you are your highness," the duchess said mockingly. "You'll stay here until I decide what to do with you."

            Adrian and Evelyn were thrown into the small room, and the duchess locked the heavy metal door. 

            Adrian groaned and sunk onto the cold floor.

            "Now what?" he said.   

            Evelyn didn't answer, but instead slipped her hand through one of the bars and tried to feel the lock.

            "Damn," she muttered. "There is no way we could break that lock," she said, kicking the door for no reason.

            "You don't think she's…" he started, but he couldn't finish the sentence.

            Evelyn shook her head firmly. "No, definitely not. The duchess is just wants you think that."

            "Then what is she doing in a tower?"

            "She probably just has her locked up there," Evelyn said, her calmness not quite believable. "She's probably fine."

            An uneasy silence fell over them. The hours passed by, the dungeon cold and damp. Adrian felt helpless, but somehow not hopeless. Finally, they could see a stream of light shining through the barred window.

            "G'morning," Evelyn mumbled. Adrian stood up and looked outside. 

            "This is all my fault," he said. 

            "No it isn't," Evelyn said shortly.

            "Yes it is! If I hadn't been so insensitive, Ivy wouldn't have felt scared to tell me the truth right from the start."

            "Yes, except you're forgetting one tiny detail. She has a lunatic stepmother!"

            He had no answer to that, but instead leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.

            "We just have to find a way out of here, that's all," Evelyn said.

            He laughed sarcastically. "Great plan."

            "You're not going to give up now," she reprimanded.

            "I'm not giving up! I just… have to think about it," he said, examining the window.

            "Excuse me?" a voice came at the door. Adrian started, but it was just one of the sisters, Parveneh.

            "I was told to bring you breakfast," she said, unlocking the door. She handed them plates with pathetic-looking bread crusts on them, but the two prisoners ate them ravenously. Parveneh seemed to be looking around nervously.

            "Alright, I don't think she's around," the nervous girl said, closing the door behind her, and beckoning the two captives closer.

            "I want to help you," she whispered. Adrian could see she had a large gash on her forehead and several bruises on her chest. "My mother is planning to take the rule from your family." She paused, seeming to listen, but when only silence was heard, she went on.  "Tonight, when I bring you your supper, you must leave and go silently to my mother's lair. My mother will be there; I cannot tell you how to defeat her, because I do not know myself, but I know you will find a way.  Ivy is in the north tower," Adrian gasped here, "she isn't dead, but you must save her."

            The sound of a footstep was heard from the hall, and Parveneh's eyes widened.

            "Here," she said hurriedly, snatching the plates from their hands.  She ran to the door and closed it. 

            "Tonight," she whispered with a knowing look to them, and then she locked the door and walked away.

***Evelyn to save the day! The next chapter is our last *tear* unless I decide to be evil and stretch it out even longer. MWHAHA! No, I probably won't. Don't mind my random insanity. But you can review!!! Yay! ~Emma


	16. Finale

**_Finale_**

            Adrian and Evelyn stared in shock at the door, trying to understand what had just happened.

            "Why would she want to help us?" Evelyn wondered aloud.

            "Her mother must be hurting her…" Adrian said, but that wasn't what he was thinking. His heart felt as if it had just been set free from chains; Ivy was alive. And yet just as quickly as his happiness had come, dread set in. How on earth was he to defeat the duchess, who was obviously an awfully powerful sorceress? 

            He sat back down on the floor, with Evelyn pacing the small space.

            "How am I to overcome her?" he asked, his hand on the hilt of his sword.

            Evelyn looked down at him. "I was just wondering the same thing," she said, sitting down next to him. "The girl said it was possible, so she must have a weakness…" she said, tapping her fingernails on the floor pensively. They both were silent, clearly not coming up with any ingenious ideas.

            The day seemed to stretch on forever, until Adrian was ready to yell at the sun for not setting. The cell was cold and damp, but since it didn't seem to bother Evelyn, Adrian clenched his teeth and pretended it didn't bother him, either.

            They were both sitting on the floor in distress when they heard the click of the lock. Adrian leapt up and unsheathed his sword. Parveneh, fairly shaking in nervousness, beckoned to them, and put a finger to her lips to tell them to be quiet.

            She led them slowly and silently down the narrow hall and up the stone steps to the hall. She pointed across the way to another passage. 

            "Go through there and at the end you will see her room," she whispered to them. They thanked her, and then crept very quickly and quietly across the hall and into the passage.

            At the end of the hall they saw a flickering blue light. They couldn't hear any voices yet, but Adrian kept his sword in front of him in case. A million thoughts raced through his mind, most being ones of apprehension and trepidation. He forced himself to keep the image of Ivy firmly in his mind, which eased the fear for a while.

            They finally reached the end, and Adrian flattened himself against the wall, and motioned for Evelyn to do the same. They stood next to a large, intricately carved wooden door, which was opened halfway. Menacing spikes stood out from the stone wall above them, and the image of dragon leered at them from above the door. He craned his neck slightly so that he could see into the room.

            The duchess, in a long satin black gown, was sitting on a throne of sorts, seemingly thinking. Her hand was incessantly stroking the orb on the top of her staff, and in the middle of the room was an enormous cauldron, which was emitting a thin line of blue smoke. At the top of this line of smoke hovered, amazingly, a rose. The rose was blue and was surrounded by a sparkling blue light, and seemed to be floating in the air with nothing to hold it up. This entranced him for a few moments, but then he shook his head and looked at the rest of the room. Nothing else was as extraordinary; just a few mirrors and desks.  Adrian turned his head to tell Evelyn, but she wasn't there.

            Panicked, his eyes flew everywhere for her, until he saw her sliding along the floor, headed for a glass case containing many swords.  His eyes bulged, but he didn't dare to make any noise or sudden movements. Silently praying that she knew what she was doing, he tried to formulate his own plan.

            Yet he hadn't even decided how to get into the room, when a huge crash resounded throughout the room.  Shards of glass flew everywhere, and Adrian had to duck before his eyes were punctured out.  He heard a magnificent explosion and carefully lowered his arms from his face to see that blue smoke had filled the whole room.          

            Without thinking, he knew this was his chance. He ran into the room, swiping the smoke out of his eyes and trying to find the duchess. Keeping his sword in front of him, he suddenly banged against something hard.  Stumbling back onto the floor, he heard a voice say something indistinguishable, and the smoke thinned.  

Adrian tried to walk back on his elbows, reaching for his sword, which had slid away from him. Looking back up, he gulped to see the duchess sliding toward him, a cold sneer on her face. 

"I should have known better than to lock you up…silly me," she murmured, keeping her eyes on him. She reached the cauldron, which was in front of him and obviously the hard thing that he had hit. Silence was kept as his hand quivered above his sword. When she made no movement, he lowered his hand, but the sword suddenly flew away from him and into her outstretched hand. He finally found his feet, and stood up, not breaking eye contact with her. 

"I suppose it will suffice for you to be the first of your family that I kill," she went on, inspecting his sword. "You are the heir after all…might as well start from the bottom and work my way up."

She made a motion with her arm, and suddenly Adrian was surrounded by a circle of fire. She was no longer visible as the bright red and orange flames danced mockingly around him. The blaze was bright, and he attempted to think straight.

"Going to kill me, are you?" he said, struck by an idiotic impulse of bravery. "We'll see about that."

He heard a disembodied laughter fill the room. With all his might, he ran toward the cauldron. Overturning it, it landed on the fire, and he was able to climb over it and away from the flames. With a resounding crack, the fire disappeared as soon as it had appeared.

"Not bad," the duchess' voice came through the still-heavy smoke. He looked every which way, but he couldn't see her.

"Why don't you come and fight me face to face, or are you too cowardly?" he said, somewhat regretting the words. 

The cackling laughter was heard again, and out of the smoke the form of the duchess reappeared. 

"Want to fight me?" she said, and her staff morphed into a long, shining, awful-looking sword. 

He didn't reply, but she smiled harshly and his sword clanged onto the floor in front of him.

"No magic," he said, staring straight into her eyes.

"No magic," she agreed, but Adrian knew it would be foolish to believe her.

And with a lunge it began. Nothing could be seen but the flashing of the swords as the two battled their way around the room. She pushed Adrian into a corner, but he grabbed a nearby desk and flung it into her way and ran to the middle of the room. He turned in time to see her make it disappear, and then she whirled around and they were at it again. At one moment, Adrian's foot got caught in the intricate woodwork of a chair. He desperately fought to get it out, but the duchess was too quick. He was knocked to the floor as her sword cut him across the shoulder. He lay, the blood flowing from the wound, the wind knocked out of him. His vision blurred for a moment, and the room was soundless. He looked up from where he lay to a mirror hanging complacently on the wall. An image of a young woman lying on a bed as if dead looked back at him.

With a newfound rush of fierce passion, he got up quickly and fought ferociously. They fought for several brutal minutes, in which Adrian's pain was numbed by the image that continued to taunt him from the mirror. His shirt and doublet had been hacked so much that half his shirt hung off his arm. She had cornered him yet again, and he was backed against a cabinet full of small bottles. Impulsively, Adrian grabbed and smashed a vial in between them. The vial erupted and filled the room with thick, dense smoke. Adrian took the opportunity to make a run for it. He had only gotten to the throne, when he heard her make the smoke vanish.  Thinking quickly, he hid behind the enormous throne. He heard her breathing heavily.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are, my little prince," she said mockingly. He tried to not breathe as hard, and stayed as still as he could.

"I'm still going to kill your family," she said. "And your little sweetheart. As a matter of fact, I think I'll go kill her right now," she said mockingly. He peeked out from behind the throne and saw her making for the door. Panic flooding through him, he willed his mind to work quickly. But then, his eye caught the blue rose. Somehow, he knew. A tapestry hung on the wall behind him, held by a long rope that hung down a few feet above him. Silently, he climbed up the chair and jumped atop a stone dragon head that stood proudly above the throne, much like the one above the door. He took the rope in one hand.

"Oh really?" he said. She whirled around, a horrible smile on her lips. 

He lifted his sword, poised to strike; it glinted in the blue light. The smile washed away from her face in a second.

"No," she murmured.  

Knowing that this was it, he jumped and swung himself on the rope, toward the suspended rose.

"NO!!!" he heard her scream before the rose was sliced in half. He fell to the ground as an intense blue light filled the room; he heard an agonizing scream that seemed to cut his insides.  And then, it was all gone. 

He put his sword back in the sheath, and looked around the room, panting. The wound from his shoulder bled freely.

"You did it!" Evelyn suddenly appeared from a room off to the side, bounding toward him.

"I did," he said, fazed. 

"Well, don't just stand there, let's go!" she said, grabbing his wrist and pulling him. They ran until they found the north tower, and Adrian ran as fast he could up the stairs. He reached the top and opened the shabby wooden door. 

Ivy was lying on a moldy, dusty bed, one hand across her chest and one dangling off the side of the bed. He hurried toward her, and sat gingerly down onto the bed. Pressing a hand to her cheek, he felt that she was still warm. She was still wearing the tattered dress from the night of the ball, but her hair had been taken down and was lying like a crown around her head. 

"Oh Ivy," he said in despair. "What am I to do?"

Stroking her hair, he sat there for a few minutes gazing at her. 

"Ivy," he murmured, leaning down over her face. "I love you," and with that, he put the lightest, sweetest of kisses on her lips.

"Oh, my head." Ivy suddenly spoke, and her arm reached up to her head. Her eyes fluttered open.

"Adrian?" she gasped. Adrian's heart leapt for joy as he smiled at her.

"But…how?" she stammered, dumbstruck, but he shook his head and put a finger to her lips. 

"It doesn't matter now," he said softly as she sat up. 

"Of course it does!" she said, muffled from his finger. "What about the ball, and my stepmother, and-"

Adrian pressed the finger harder onto her lips and smiled. He tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. "I love you," he said.

Her face broke into the happiest smile, and she said, "I love you, too," and then kissed him.

When they broke from the kiss, she looked worriedly at his wound.

"What happened?" she asked, anxiously. "Are you alright?"

He smiled. "I'm perfect," he said, and kissed her again. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Almost The End

~2003 NazgulQueen

Dear readers:

            Okay, I reeeeeeeeeeally did not mean to take this long with this chapter. School has been crazy and I've been really busy, but I am sorry. 

            Well, we have come to the conclusion of our journey. I will write an epilogue if the masses demand it! (which I suspect they will? besides, I still haven't said 'happily ever after'.) You all have been fabulous, and I really appreciate your comments! 

            For now, I'll be focusing on my other fairy tale, Goodbye, Hello, and my LOTR story. However, I am in the process of developing an original fantasy fic for fictionpress.com, so I'll keep you updated! Please come check it out when I get it up! Please!

            I have loved this story so much I wrote it twice. I really hoped you loved it too! Someone said something about a sequel? I shall have to dwell on this. 

            Until next time, I love you all!

            ~Emma the NazgulQueen


	17. Epilogue

Epilogue

            The two lovebirds made it back to the palace, an ever-sighing Evelyn in tow. Two weeks later, the castle hosted a double wedding, for Julian had proposed to Evelyn the moment she returned. Parveneh was invited, and gladly came to live at the palace, but Souzan, fuming over the downfall of her mother, fell into insanity, and the creepy castle was said to be haunted in the generations to come.

            At the passing of the king and queen, Adrian and Ivy came to the throne. Even though she was queen, Ivy never gave up her gardening. The palace's gardens thrived, and each one had a bed of lilies. At least five times a week, Ivy got out her apron and gloves and buried herself in dirt, earning herself the title of the Flower Queen. Adrian helped out quite often, and had made a whole set of gardening clothes for him. The two were happy, still having adventures, even as they welcomed a son and daughter into the world.

            And so they lived, happily ever after.

            (Perhaps Not) The End

***I hope it's long enough; I still haven't given up the thought of a sequel. Thanks to everyone who made this story a joy to write a second time… you were all fantastic! If you haven't already, please peruse my other fairy tale, Goodbye, Hello.

Also, if anyone likes to edit, can you e-mail me and read my original fic? Only about a chapter or so is done, but it would be great to get some thoughts on it.

Until next time, ciao!

            Emma the NazgulQueen


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